Ranger's Angel
by Hot4Gerry
Summary: Ranger's been asked to keep Racine safe. Her brother Stryker saved his butt without asking for anything in return. Now he was asking. All Ranger had to do is keep repeating his number one rule and all will be fine. Don't mess with Stryker's sister and don't get involved with females interested in forever. He didn't do forever. Ranger M./ OC
1. Chapter 1

**Ranger/31**

**Racine Crawford/24**

**Stryker/Alexander Crawford/ 37/Racine's half brother**

**Naturally Stephanie Plum and Joseph Morelli and some of the other assorted kooky friends and family **

**Ranger in Danger**

**Chapter One**

**The Adventure Begins**

Something, some sixth sense woke me alerting me that something wasn't right. I didn't have to worry about intruders getting inside the compound. The only one ever to break through the tight security had been my brother Alex.

Alex only tolerated me calling him by his given name because he loved me. It isn't a name he felt any sort of attachment for or duty to pass on. Having been abandoned by our father at an early age Alex had no familial bond with anyone but me.

Two years ago he had somehow gotten through all our security measures. He approached me on the running path I use every day for exercise. Being locked away all my life without much interaction with the general public instead of being afraid as any normal person would be I felt intrigued by his ingenuity. I knew how difficult getting in undetected had been as I designed the system and oversaw its installation. I'd been fifteen at the time. I'd been bored and asked my parents if I could design a new system. They said of course. Since it is their goal to have me learn and store knowledge designing challenging programs fit right into their program for me.

I'm a tall woman with an athletic build. Alex put me to shame. His six foot seven, wide shouldered body shouted out health and vigor as well as looking like a trained assassin. Later, I found out that is part of his job, not a part he likes or often has to fulfill but if directed or the occasion offered no other choice he took down his quarry then moved on without a glance over his shoulder or regret in his eyes.

Over the last two years I also learned he can be a loving and caring person, not that he likes to admit that. Once you've won his respect and trust he'd lay his life down for you without hesitation, no questions asked.

Having found me after over two decades searching it took us a few months to feel comfortable enough to exchange any real personal information. I suspect Alex, or rather Striker as he prefers, knows everything about me and my parents right down to the color of our underwear.

Right from the start it became clear he disapproved of the way I had been brought up. I tried to defend my lifestyle by explaining someone with my gifts would be hounded by unscrupulous people in the outside world. He'd snorted then muttered something he wouldn't repeat when I asked him what he said.

I don't know why or how but for some reason God saw fit to bless me with an intelligent level the scientific and academic communities have not been able to accurately gage. Apparently I am some freak of nature, one who must live in near solitude just to be safe. Reading is not a joy it is a necessity, one that I complete rapidly while storing the knowledge inside mental files inside my head. Who knows when that knowledge will be needed.

The only people allowed through the front gates were my personal physician and assorted tradesmen. Even the companies hiring me to work my magic for them aren't allowed entrance into the inner sanctum. Stryker became the exception after many mini tantrums from me. I suspect it was more my refusal to do any work that gained me permission to see Stryker.

Now he was here in the middle of the night having snuck into my room. The hairs on my arms rose right along with the ones on the back of my neck. I am not accustomed to feeling fear so I'm not certain this is what I am experiencing. Whatever it is I don't like it.

"Racine, you need to get up and get dressed. Do it as fast as you can. I'll grab as much of your clothes as I can get into the suitcase then we have to go," he said as he quickly set to work opening drawers then grabbing an armful of garments from my closet. He stood for a moment looking at the sparse collection. He'd cleaned my closet leaving half the suitcase unfilled.

"Stryker, what is going on? Stop for a minute. Talk to me. Your scaring me," I said with an unusual loud volume to my voice. I never yell or scream, other than my tantrum to get Stryker into my life legitimately.

"Sweetheart, if I had time to explain I surely would but we don't have that luxury. My best guess is we have an hour, two tops, before this compound is invaded and overrun by hostiles. Trust me, please. You know I love you and wouldn't let anything happen to you, true?"

"Yes," I simply said knowing it to be true.

"Then please believe I am doing this to keep you safe. I don't have time to explain now but as soon as we are far enough away to be somewhat safe I'll tell you everything I know," he said taking my hands in his transferring some unknown message to me by his strength of will alone.

"Alright but what about Jane and Howard? They must be warned as well," I said noticing his grimace when I referred to my parents by their given names. This was something they encouraged not something I preferred. For whatever reason, they set themselves apart from me by being as disconnected as possible while still overseeing my upbringing. I didn't feel toward them as I do toward Striker. I care for them but I can't say I love them and I am pretty sure they donn't love me. They never told me so at any rate. In twenty four years they would have told me they loved me wouldn't they?

"Your…Jane and Howard aren't in the compound. I'll explain that later too." For a moment something like sadness flitted across his face and filled his blue eyes. I've noticed before our strong resemblance. Our eyes are the same dark cloud blue. We also share the same blond hair. I suppose it was from our Nordic heritage.

I understand why my brother hates our father but why did that hatred extend to my mother? She hadn't been around when Howard left his first wife heavy with child over thirty years ago.

"Trust me," he implored me once again.

"Alright, but I want the full details as soon as possible," I demanded. Sometimes out of nowhere this surge of power and surety takes over me. I become someone else, something else, someone able to take the world on showing no mercy. That other person disturbs. I don't really know how extensive her powers are but I think they're awesomely scary.

"Deal," he said. He added a couple pair of shoes. Since I don't have jewelry or anything remotely personal after packing my clothes the room looked like it hadn't been occupied other than the bed still remained unmade. Why have clothing or useless feminine trappings if no one will see them but me and my parents?

Stryker shot me a glance that looked suspiciously like pity. I wanted to call him on that look but since he claimed time was of the essence I put that on the back burner for later reference. Since total recall was one of my many talents he'd never be off the hook until we hashed this out or one of us died. I shivered with foreboding, another never before felt emotion. I never realized just how shutoff my emotions had been until my brother came into my life. I felt more alive when he was around than I did at any other time I can remember.

Swiftly he guided me through the house. I knew it inside out. I could walk through it at night blindfolded without any mishap. From Striker's confident steps it seemed like he'd been inside more times than I knew about.

Outside the night was dark and moonless. A slight breeze stirred the tendrils of hair that escaped the long braid at my back. It also carried the distinct odor of gasoline. Heavy fumes wafted up my nose nearly gagging me.

"Son of a bit…gun," he cursed angrily catching himself just before saying what he really wanted to say. For some reason he thought he couldn't use such language in my presence. True no one around me says such words. I surely don't. He thinks I am too innocent for such harsh words. Perhaps I have been denied being a part of the real world but this life is all I've ever known.

Now he was dragging me rather than gently pulling me behind him. Being a foot taller than me with much longer legs I had to take two very wide strides for every one of his. The gates were open. Not a single soul crossed our path demanding to know what my brother was doing. That along with the fact that the attack dogs weren't growling while tearing at the intruder's leg gave me a bad feeling. Now more than ever I had to believe Striker when he said all was not right in my world.

Some big black vehicle filled the opening where the gates should have been. The front end was smashed in the tiniest bit, actually only the bumper had a couple dents. I suppose the rather large push guard on the front kept the radiator from being destroyed along with the whole front end of the truck.

"No time to knock. No one was home anyway other than you," he said giving me a quick look no doubt wondering if I realized my parent's left me totally alone and undefended either by choice or by force. Neither set well with me right now. My world had a crack in it that kept spreading. How long before it completely tore apart?

Stuffing me into the front seat then stowing my suitcase in the rear he hopped into the driver's seat. Foot to the floor we shot off as if jet propelled. In fact I'm pretty sure this car had some nonmarket engine under the hood. In all likelihood it was one of my designs. I felt something that must be pride fill my chest with warmth. I've read about emotions, it's just that I've not had a chance to experience very many of them. My time has always been filled with study, learn, create then repeat the process.

The world outside is unknown to me for the most part. I have internet but am limited to programs designated by those in control of my life. I could override the safety measures if I'd ever been left alone with my computer. Whatever room I occupied had at least one other person, a person I am not allowed to interact with as a safety precaution according to Jane and Howard. Now I am not so sure. Now, letting my brother into my life I started to have doubts. What to do with them wasn't something that came easily for me.

Who wants to suspect the people who are supposed to love them above all else is manipulating the facts for some unknown reason. Given enough time I'd have gotten to the bottom of this mystery. Truth is I felt disinclined about changing, being thrown out into a world I didn't know, a world I'd not been a part of in any real way.

I've never been kissed, had a boyfriend, in fact, I've never had a friend of any sort. Stryker is my first and only contact with the outside world and due to the deal with my parents our encounters were limited as far as information exchanges went.

It struck me now just how much I didn't know about my brother. I knew a little about his job. His boss, someone called Ranger, had a base office in a place called Trenton located in the state of New Jersey. Of all the places he could live he picked New Jersey? Of course Stryker did say Ranger had family living there. He didn't see them often but knowing they were close was something I suppose.

It didn't take long to reach the island airport. We bypassed the building where passengers were required to check in. Since this is a private island owned by a few select people security is located around the island rather than within the island other than each compound's own security measures. How many compounds dotted the island I didn't know or who owned them. I knew the men inside ours carried some heavy firepower. It hadn't ever been needed as our security was almost impenetrable. No system is without flaws it just takes time to find them. I made sure ours were very hard to find or override. Striker is the only one who ever had.

We skidded to a stop in front of a small jet painted all black. In large letters was a logo RangeMan. Obviously Ranger didn't have creativity in his gene pool. Then again, it sort of said it all didn't it?

A mountain of a man slid down the rails of the steps rather than take them one at a time. He jogged toward us. I was certain I heard the tarmac cracking. Did he make his own clothes and shoes? I haven't come across any online stores selling Sasquatch clothing or boots.

"Listen and don't argue with me. I have to leave you now. I can protect you better if we aren't together. For now they are following me. It won't be long before they'll pick up your scent no matter how good it's covered. They think I have the info. I don't but I can't disabuse them of that fact without putting you in danger." Taking a breath he quickly continued just as I was about to hurl a barrage of questions peppered with demands at him.

"Einstein, if I could do this any other way believe me I would. You'll be okay with Jolly. He'll stay with you until he can deposit you at RangeMan headquarters. After that you'll be safe while I sort this out," he said then pulled me into his arms. I felt safe, warm, protected. I never wanted him to let me go. I'd never had anything close to this with anyone, not even my parents.

"It won't be for long, I promise. I made a disc with everything you need to know on it. It explains everything. I wish I could be there with you in person when you view it but as things are I can't. God damn it, I hate Howard Crawford as I've never hated before. If I could strangle the bastard I would for what he's done. I'm sorry sweetheart if I'm scaring you. That's not my intention. It's just he…they…Shit! Just keep safe and look for me. I'll see you soon." With that he slipped off into the darkness before I could say a word. I felt cold and alone. That is until I felt the mountain of man behind me.

Gently he wrapped a massive hand around my upper arm so he could guide me onto the plane. The engines were already firing up. As soon as we stepped inside another man pulled the door closed. Jolly set me down in a seat then instructed me to buckle up. Never having been on a plane I had to study the belt to see how it connected. No sooner was I buckled in than we began our ascent.

Reaching our desired altitude the plane leveled off. Jolly came toward me carrying a small table followed by another giant man carrying a computer, dvds and an assortment of files.

"Miss Howard, Stryker said to let you have these once we were airborne. If you need anything just give us a shout out. We'll be right back there," he said as he pointed behind me. I glanced over my shoulders to see the plane did not have rows of seats but rather looked like someone's living room or entertainment room.

Feelings of doom washed over me. Not having even viewed the disc or read a single word in the files I felt my world about to come crashing down around me even more so than it already had. I trusted Stryker with my life but dreaded what he had to say. Words can't kill but I think their meaning might be able to maim enough to make one wish they were dead. Having no experience with death or hurt feelings I wasn't certain if I wanted to be informed by my brother, who I only met two years ago, that my life had been a sham, something built on lies and deceit.

Shaking off the dread I booted up the computer then slipped in the disc. My brother's face and voice filled me with reassurance until what he was saying filtered into my brain having to sift through an unaccustomed mushiness inside me. I'd even gone so far as to place my finger on the screen so I could trace his familiar face. I felt a tear roll down my face. Not once, not as a child or as an adult have I cried. Tears were not something to be encouraged or tolerated.

"Racine, if you're watching this, things have gone south. I've been unsuccessful in rescuing you before all hell broke loose. Being the smart man I am I put contingency plans in place. Instead of being with me you'll be with Ranger. He'll guard you with his life. He won't like it but he will because he owes me, big-time," he said with a familiar wide grin creating slight creases beside his mouth.

Becoming somber once more he said, "Racine, it's hard for me to say this but Jane and Howard weren't your parents, not in any real sense of the word. Howard did contribute his sperm but Jane had no part in your conception, not even carrying you to term. A surrogate had that honor. Believe me Racine, anyone given the chance to be your mother was indeed honored. I've never met anyone as sweet or trusting as you. How many other women would let some near mercenary into their life without asking a million questions? You never asked those questions and I appreciate that. Someday I'll tell it all to you but for now you have enough on your plate. Besides, you know more about than anyone other than Ranger and those under his command."

"Dam… I mean darn it, I've gotten off track. See, I am learning to curb my cussing in your honor. Not for anyone else would I give up cussing. I must love you a lot huh?"

"Shit…I mean shoot there I go again. Jeez! This is harder than I thought it would be. Cra…shi…oh hell, fuck it. I'll reform later. For now I have to be me. The me who cusses while tearing the heart right out of the chest of someone he's come to love more than his own worthless hide," he said as he hung his head a moment to regroup.

"Okay, here goes. I've been looking into Jane and Howard. Call me nosy or overprotective. Call me whatever the hell you want but I felt something rotten in Denmark as I got to know you. I blame myself. I should have dug deeper when I was looking for Howard. When I found him I should have known from past experience what a bastard he is…was," the last word a whisper.

"Racine, brace yourself for what I have to tell you. If you need someone to sit with you any one of the guys will do it. They won't like it but they'll do it or else explain to me why my sister had to hear her parents are dead without someone to comfort her. Well shit! I don't have time to scrap this and start over. God sweetheart, I'm sorry. I wish I could be with you when you found out but that's impossible right now. Take comfort in the fact they didn't suffer, too much anyway. Being tortured is a bitch. God dammit, I knew I should have written a script before doing this. I'm not used to having to be all sensitive and thoughtful. Being among men carrying assault rifles or missle launchers doesn't require us to be all touchy feely."

"The files I've given you will tell you more. There are some things I just can't bring myself to say out loud. Reading them seems less…hurtful," he said in a very gentle voice, one he'd deny having. He could be sensitive when the need arose.

All the while I continued to listen to what he had to say I processed information. Quick scans of the files filled me in on the rest of my story. What a story it is too. For now it will be another of those things to think about later. For now I have to prepare myself for the outside world. I am headed to Trenton, New Jersey. My new residence will be RangeMan until Striker deems it safe for me to find my own niche in the world.

Trepidation as well as excitement have me pressing my nose to the window beside me. All I can see are clouds passing by. By now the sun is high in the sky. A new day has dawned.

I should feel something like sadness or loss but all I feel is a passing regret that two people I knew died such a horrible death that served no purpose. They didn't have the information The Company was after, I did.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm posting this second chapter quickly in hopes of encouraging readers to review. It's a little discouraging not to get the only payment writers on fanfiction receive. Enjoy. Read. Review. Thank you. **

**Chapter Two**

**Dark Meets Light**

**Ranger's POV**

If I had any good sense I'd stay as far away from Stephanie Plum as I could. That road led to heartbreak and might lead to a well deserved broken nose. I'd break his nose too along with a few bones but what the hell, it's all among friends. The _he_ is Joe Morelli, Stephanie's sort of fiancée, sometime boyfriend, all the time bed partner, lucky bastard.

I've had a night with the woman and it still haunts many of my dreams. We also shared a bed without a single sexual act taking place. Well there was some fondling, kissing mixed in with some near misses. The woman has principles, sometimes. Sometimes there is a gray area with her.

I've been out of contact with everyone the last week. For once in my life I took a vacation leaving every single piece of equipment, every bug, GPS, everything, behind. I spent some quality time with Julie under strict instructions to her parents not to tell anyone my whereabouts. Especially anyone from RangeMan. My ex and I have a good working relationship. I like her new husband. If I didn't he'd be in the belly of some large gator. No mess, no fuss. Julie is my biological daughter. She's never spent a night under my roof. I take care of her to the best of my ability. I love her with all my heart. Since I'm not cut out for fatherhood on a daily basis I stay out of her life only making appearances upon her request.

Since I still feel in vacation mode I bypass all the security measures. Only I know how to do this. Helps on those off days when I forget my keys, days when my heart nearly stops beating because I just learned Stephanie has been in an explosion, random gun battle or attacked by one of those crazies she chases during the performance of her job as bounty hunter. God wanted to really punish me and Joe when he sent that woman to Vinnie's.

Letting myself into the apartment I am about to toss my keys into the bowl when I see another set of keys. Down below comes to stiff attention. If I looked in a mirror I know I'd see a predatory gleam in my eyes as well as a smile plastered on my face. Only one other person has a set of keys to my apartment, Stephanie.

I'm not in the mood to be honorable or think twice about poaching on someone else's preserve. Right now it's every man for himself. Since I'm the only man here the prize is mine. In all fairness to me, she came to me, I didn't go out looking for her.

Without being cocky I know for sure I can overcome all Stephanie's objections. I won't even have to try too hard. She's that damned attracted to me. For sure I've had the hots for her from the moment I clamped eyes on her. We've had this flirty hit and miss kind of relationship going on. I've even told her I love her. I do, just not in the marrying, happily ever after sort of way. I'm not worried though, if she can't commit to Joe on a permanent basis, she sure as hell can't commit to me.

Leaving the lights off I make my way to my bedroom. Once inside my clothes become an intolerance best dealt with swiftly. Removing everything they are discarded haphazardly in a heap on the floor. This isn't my usual style but it's been too long since I've had a woman. In fact the last woman had been the very one in my bed. Damn, where has my libido been hiding?

Like I said it's not like we have any commitment or anything. Hell she can barely commit to taking care of her hamster Rex. I'm not any better. My job with all that it entails has my commitment 100%.

Crawling into bed when I inhale there is a strangeness to the familiar fragrance I know is my shower gel. Urgent messages from parts standing at attention wiped everything from my brain. Not safe, but then, when have I ever played it safe around this woman? Besides, inside the Batcave we're relatively safe, as safe as anyone can be.

Nuzzling my face into the curve of her neck silky soft hair brushes against my skin. How fast does a woman's hair grow? The silky strands brushing against my cheek feel much longer and twice as silky as they usually do. Maybe she got a new shampoo which would explain the different fragrance.

A moan from her brings a smile of satisfaction to my lips. I won't be sleeping on the couch. I wouldn't be anyway. I always find my way into my own bed whether she's in it or not.

Capturing her lips just as a gasp escapes her mouth my tongue finds its way to hers. At first she is stiff beneath me. I'll fix that. Sliding my hands underneath the t-shirt I am happy to find the treasure hidden there. Using my other hand I go in search of the treasure further south. What luck, no panties. Just warm silky wet woman.

Hands grasping me around the waist is all the encouragement I need to slide between her thighs. Damn, I don't remember her legs being this long. Come to think of it when did she have a breast augmentation? They aren't super large like Lula's but larger than I remembered. Perhaps that first time wasn't as memorable as I thought. I'd do better this time around.

Running my hand over her outer thigh my palm skims over firm flesh. Flesh with an athlete's muscle beneath. Stephanie only exercises if a donut is at the end of the workout, even then she cheats.

Warning bells are ringing loud and clear inside my head. Whoever this is it for damn sure isn't Stephanie Plum. Flipping her over I reach into the bedside drawer to bring out the pair of handcuffs I always keep there. One never knows. I've always had hopes Stephanie would one day agree to let me play bounty hunter to her poor misunderstood felon.

The sheets nearly trip me as I leave the bed. I am never this clumsy or this careless. This is what a woman does to a man's brain, turns it to goo, even if it isn't the woman he thought she was.

Flipping on the light I fix my eyes on my intruder. For a moment I am blinded by the sight of her. Smooth pale skin, so pale it looks almost if she is made of the same stone used to sculpt statues, alabaster, that's it, alabastor. From the patch I see behind her crossed ankles the hair hair color isn't from a bottle. It's all natural. Shit! Why couldn't she be some toothless hag? My boner is so stiff she's in danger of having an eye poked out. Bending down I grapple with the pile of discarded clothing looking for my jeans. Thrusting my legs into them I leave the zipper down. My erection hasn't gone down even a little bit. At least I know my circulation is working. Good eating habits paired with lots of healthy exercise. Not the kind I'd like to have but it works.

Wide blinking blue eyes look at me with such trust I have to think she's deranged or lacking in some mental capacity. What normal woman would be so…so at ease with a strange man who almost raped her? Well not rape but still, she doesn't know me from Gorillaman.

"Who the hell are you and what the fuck are you doing in my apartment, in my bed? Scratch that. How the hell did you get in here? If one of my men slept with you then let you in I'll kill him then come back and deal with you," I threatened letting her own imagination fill in the blanks how I'd deal with her before I killed her. I was only half kidding about killing her and not kidding at all about killing the man who betrayed my trust.

Her blue eyes opened even wider if possible. Perhaps I should tell her that innocent doe eyed look isn't going to get her anything. I'd just been on the receiving end of a kiss that almost burned the flesh from my bones. I'm not one bit fooled by those eyes or the slight tremble of her bottom lip. Nor am I distracted by what I can see behind her crossed legs. Not much anyway.

For modesty's sake perhaps I should pull the t-shirt down over her. Yep I should do that, more for my peace of mind more than her modesty at this point I am honest enough with myself to admit.

Reaching out I tug the material down covering everything even her feet. A pink toe peeks out to tempt my resolve. Damned pink toe, I hate pink. Right, sure. Absolutely.

A timid voice draws me away from ogling things I shouldn't be ogling. "If you uncuff me I promise I won't try to run. I'll tell you as much as I can. Please, my hands are going numb."

I find her nibbling at her bottom lip very disturbing. I squelch the thought that I'd like to be that lip or better still, I'd like to be the one doing the nibbling.

Against my better judgment I fish the keys out of the drawer then release the locks. I half expected her to leap from the bed in a useless attempt to get out of the apartment. I can easily take care of her should she attempt to leave this room, it just is easier to deal with her if she's restrained. Less hassle for me. What the heck. I'm not above tackling a woman. Wouldn't mind it at all. After uncuffing her I step back more for my own benefit than hers. In close she's to much temptation to say to hell with it.

Taking a deep breath she begins, "You have a man working for you, Alex Crawford, known to you as Stryker. I am his sister."

So, she's a liar as well as a…a what? Thief, burglar, Goldilocks? No, not Goldilocks. Maybe more of a Christmas angel, one like we had on our tree when I was a kid. Christ, now I waxing poetic over her fucking looks. I'd better get her out of here before I start blithering like a raving lunatic. According to Morelli I'm a short train ride from the nuthouse as it is. He'd die laughing if he could see and hear me now.

"You're lying. Stryker doesn't have any family. Try again Angel Face." What the fuck? Where did that come from? I'm losing it. She must have some kind of hallucinogen on her lips or…or _something_ turning me into an idiot.

I jump back when she crawls off the bed landing just a couple steps from me. Panic, is this fluttering in my stomach panic? I wouldn't know as I've never felt it. Frightened, worried, scared but never panicked.

Reaching behind me brings her against me. Swallowing is getting difficult. I breathe in life-sustaining oxygen when she steps back. In her hand she has a black briefcase. Now my survival instincts kick in. That case could hold any number of weapons. It's only now I realized she has me backed up against my dresser.

When she offers the case to me my mind goes to _bomb_. "You open it. Don't do anything stupid, I have a gun and won't hesitate to put a hole in that pretty head of yours." Am I still so certain I can drill her with lead? I'd have to see when push comes to shove.

"Stryker said you were not a man who gives his trust easily. He entrusted you with his most precious possession, me, his sister. That has to count for something. Here, read what is inside then make your decision. I have the means to make my own way. I…I am sure I can navigate in the world without coming to harm. In fact, given our recent…uh…uh…the recent…well it just might be advisable for me to stay somewhere else," she says with a mental so there at the end.

Still not trusting her enough to turn my back on her or leave her alone in my bedroom I grab her wrist then pull her none too gently behind me. Frustration makes me cranky. My men say it makes me downright evil. I've been frustrated in one way or another for some time now. The beast may just raise his ugly head looking for virgins. I know just where to find one. How the hell did I make the leap that she's a virgin? From what I know of her…_talents_…she's no innocent virgin. Her tongue knew just how to stroke mine. For a second I get lost in memories of just how good it felt.

Commanding her to "sit" in the chair across from my couch I sit down then make myself comfortable. Opening the case I take out the contents then begin to read and assess. I also read the letter sealed in an envelope addressed to me from Stryker. It is his handwriting so I know she didn't forge any of the papers inside.

From time to time I flick my eyes toward the woman I now know is Racine Crawford. She is indeed Stryker's sister or more precisely his half-sister. They share the same father. Reading on further I discover just how Racine came into being. Her life reads like something out of a science fiction novel.

Putting down the papers I reach out to pick up an iPod complete with earplugs. Turning it on I listen to the recorded message.

"_Ranger my man, how goes it? Been a few years. Racine is the reason I quit the company. Once I knew about her I had to find her. _

_I hate dumping all this on you bu__t I have no other options. Racine is in danger and I can't be with her right now. I am playing decoy hoping to give us time to figure something out that will keep us all safe._

_Can you believe the shit they did to my poor sister? How fucked up is that?_

_Oh, while it is fresh in my mind try to keep the cursing to a minimum. Racine has lived a very sheltered life. By comparison I'd have to say a sixteen year old knows more than she does. Not book smarts but life experience is what I'm talking about. _

_Just as a warning, lay one hand on her and you're a dead man. If I come home and she isn't in the same pristine condition as when I sent her to you, there isn't a place you can hide buddy. I'll skin you alive. Been there done that just so you know. Just kidding, or at least I think I am. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm kidding. Fuck that. I mean every word. So, if you find yourself about to slip, cuff yourself in a locked room or give in and nail the bounty hunter. We all know you want her bad. _

_Seriously Ranger, take it easy on Racine. She's still processing everything. Think how you'd feel if one day you woke up and found out your whole world had been a lie? Imagine learning you were created in a petri dish from pieces of this person and that person. How fucked up is that? _

_I don't think I could have survived if every day I was forced to soak up information like it was water. Hell, I barely made it through college. I'm smart just not brilliant like Racine. Also I'm lazy when it comes to learning anything that comes out of a book. I'm a hands on kind of guy. _

_I don't know how long I can keep The Company sniffing after my trail, sure hope it is at least a month, better if it's two months. Everything you need to take care of her is in the brief case. All the codes for the accounts and safety deposit boxes are there. Feel free to keep it all. Racine has a photographic memory. Crap! If she hears something once it is never forgotten so watch what you say and do buddy or it will come back and bite you in the ass. _

_Like I said she soaks up everything around her, that's why you need to watch your language. Difficult, but not impossible? Right buddy? Fucking A! When I'm right I'm right. _

_This info is strictly for your ears only so I can say whatever the hell I want. Fuck, shit, holy motherfucker. Wow! Been holding that in for some time now. If you're like me you'll be seeking out some private fuck you, God dammit to hell time. The parking garage is not a good place just so you know. Echoes throughout the building like a son-of-a-bitch. _

_Don't worry about finances. As you can see she's one wealthy broad, no, scratch that, this is my sister, call her a broad and I'll deck you. Anyway she's worth in the neighborhood of $30,000,000 million now that I've moved all the accounts out of the hands of those two worthless vultures Jane and Howard. Nice neighborhood right? Wish I could see their faces when they get to the Caymans and find nothing but a nickel in the account. What a kick in the pants. Sure would like to see which one has a stroke first. _

_As you've no doubt read there are also several banks with deposit boxes filled with ready cash. Man it took some fancy maneuvering to get Racine's name on the stock portfolio. The companies were already in her name, she just didn't have any control as those two worthless bastards had power of attorney. They kept things in Racine's name just in case the Feds came snooping or looking for hidden money. We all know what sneaky bastards Feds are. Well, they can sniff all they want. Racine is as clean as….well I've never actually come across anything or anyone so innocent and untouched. Take notice buddy, remember, I saved your life but I'm not above taking it. _

_Dammit, I hate this fucking shit. I finally find my sister then after only two years we get separated. Fuck The Company for what they did to such a sweet innocent like Racine. Most of all fuck Jane and Howard. Fucking animals, they should be castrated and left for dead, every last one of the bastards. _

_Remember, don't let her listen to this. I'd hate to come home and find her cussing like a fucking sailor. Maybe I'll be cussed out by the time I get back. _

_Say man, really sorry about breaking into your security. Just have Racine create another. I won't even ask for the back doors or flaws, not that she'd tell me. I did manage to crack the program she created for the island compound. Can you believe it, she was only sixteen when she did that. Is that fucking great or what? _

_I compiled a list of other creations that the scumbag company would love to get their hands on. If they can't find me they'll go looking for the source, Racine. Only reason they haven't so far is they have no fucking idea where to start. _

_Given enough time with the right people on the job they'll find her. I am a ghost but even I leave a paper trail at times. All it takes is some smartass bone head computer geek to find the breadcrumbs. They'll lead right to Rangeman. Hopefully by that time I'll be headed home too. We can shoot the breeze knock the shit out of one another. Guess I do owe you one free shot for breaking in. Well I didn't do the breaking in Racine did. Technically it isn't braking in it's only entering. How many years do you get for entering? How'd you like the keyfob replica? Pretty damn perfect, right? Fucking A!_

_Another thing, they were giving her drugs. I think they were some sort of enhancement drugs, not for pleasure dumbass, for her mind. Think they've been injecting her with some mixed stew magic for all of her life, maybe even from the moment they added the egg to the dish of other crap. Gotta say, they sure hit the gene pool of good looks. I have one fine sister. You better be wearing blinders Ranger my man or you'll be a goner, then I'd have to kill you. _

_Guess that about wraps it up. Take good care of her. Seriously man, she's the only thing keeping me going at the moment. A couple years ago I was ready to cash it all in and go live in seclusion someplace. She makes each day worth waking. Imagine having someone like her in your life on a daily basis. Makes a man rethink the whole marriage thing. Scrap that. Fucking stay away from my sister. If you aren't throwing yourself in front of a bullet about to enter her chest keep at least ten feet between the two of you. _

_Fuck, I hate this shit. It should be me there keeping her safe. _

_Hope she's taking the news about Jane and Howard in stride. They may not have been great parents but they were all she's known for twenty-four years. Gotta be tough. As much of a bastard as Howard was I did miss having a father. Can't say I'm all weepy eyed over his death but I do have regrets for what could have been if we had all been different people. _

_Look into The Company. I've done preliminary groundwork. Enough so you can dig deeper. Find a crack we can use to infiltrate their organization and tear the whole fucking mess from here to hell and back. _

_Crap! I hate to do this but could you maybe…uh…tell Racine I…I…Shit just tell her I fucking love her. Leave out the fucking please. While I'm away I'm going to try to turn over a new leaf, no more cussing, well, almost no cussing. Sometimes the moment just calls for a good sound cuss-fest. Can I get an amen? _

_God damn! Guess you can hear the gunfire. My safe house isn't so safe anymore. I'll try to find a safe way to contact you so you'll know what is going on at my end. Phones are out of the equation. I__'ll__ figure something out. I'll be damned if I let another year go by without seeing or speaking to Racine. _

_If I get my hands on one of the fucking bastards I'll kill him with my bare hands. Holy shit! That one was too close for comfort. Gotta go. I'm sending this on with…well hell…it will be obvious who is bringing this. Had a dumb me down moment. Gotta fly. Getting kind of crowded in here. See ya soon old buddy. Later. _

After that all I hear is a lot of rounds being fired. Voices mixed with the gunfire create an image I am all too easily able to see in my mind. It isn't unlike many moments from my own life. Not so often anymore, now that I'm in the private sector, or mostly in the private sector. I still do the odd job for the government once in a while. Strictly off the books of course.

While I've been listening to Stryker tell me what's been going on Racine has been making a circuit around my apartment. Every now and then she picks up an object to study it carefully. I don't have things other people normally have in their homes. I have high tech computers, satellite phones, a bank of security monitors. All sorts of spy gadgets that would make James Bond have wet dreams.

"Do you live here alone? I only ask because I found some clothes that are clearly made for a woman. I'd hate to have your wife or girlfriend come in and find me here. I know some women wouldn't understand that sort of thing," she says eyeing me expectantly. I resist the urge to squirm under her direct gaze. How can anyone looking as she does be so innocent, so guileless? Living on an island only inhabited by less than thirty people might contribute. Could also be the fact her parents kept her locked away from the world in order to hone her skills for their own gain. They can't even claim to have done it for the advancement of mankind. All they wanted was to make enough so they could retire while extricating themselves from the responsibility of their daughter.

Among the papers in the briefcase are more papers written in Stryker's hand. They explain what he hadn't had time to put in the message. Stryker said in the beginning it had been an experiment to create a perfect human being. Sure had him wondering about his own creation. Did he come from a natural encounter or was he created in one of the petri dishes like Racine was?

Bet one of the first things he does when he gets home is have a nice long sit-down with his mother. All this heil Hitler crap makes me sick. I don't attend church on a regular basis but in my opinion creation of a human being should be left to God. Suppose it's alright to do things the artificial way to help out a couple desperate for children but to try to use a recipe to create a perfect human is beyond what science should fuck with.

Finding her eyeing me again with that doe-eyed stare has me scrambling to remember what she asked me that sent me off in such a tangent. Ah, yeah, the wife or girlfriend issue. From anyone else I'd think she was fishing.

"No wife no girlfriend," I state while trying to ignore the impulse to reach out and touch her hair. How long is it anyway? I can see one lone curl wrapped around her curvaceous hip. Shit! I'm going to hell right after Stryker kills me.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I mentioned a touchy subject. Are…are you over her? Does it still hurt? Well darn, forget I asked that. Of course you're not over her. Why else would you keep her clothes in your closet or tampons in your bathroom?" I have to say I've never seen a woman blush before. Well maybe Stephanie once in an intimate conversation with me.

Suddenly she finds something on the carpet of interest. Gradually the pink leaves her cheeks. I have to say I will miss that dusting of pink on her cheeks. Damn sexy in an innocent come take me and turn me into a woman sort of way. Yep! Stryker is going to kill me and I will go straight to hell. Bet it will be worth it though.

Man, I'm losing it. I have a sudden urge to come clean about me and Stephanie. It isn't any of Racine's business who I sleep with or who I let sleep in my bed. Why do I feel sometime in the near future it will become her business? I can feel the fires of hell licking at my feet. Do I smell sulfur? Usually that only happens when Joyce Barnhart is around. Naw, she's too dumb to manage cracking all my codes.

"Well, at least I didn't wear any of her clothes. I hope you don't mind that I borrowed one of your t-shirts? I had clothes. Would you believe it, the airport lost my luggage. For some reason they thought Jolly looked like a terrorist and went through the plane and all our luggage. Luckily they only skimmed the papers. Those didn't seem to interest them as much as all the different crates in the plane. Good thing Jolly had all the proper paperwork. Who knows where they might have put us otherwise. That man deserves a raise. I have to say he made the flight easier for me. I'll have to think of a way to thank him for his kindness."

Apparently she is oblivious to the darkening cloud overhead. I can help her find a way to say thank you to Jolly. Why the jet? I have several other planes available at a moment's notice. An idea filters through my anger.

"Where exactly is this island you were on located?"

She didn't blink, didn't hesitate an instant. The numbers came as if she read them from a piece of paper or had them written on her hand. She had number of miles from here to there, how much fuel it took, where not to fly if you wanted to avoid radar detection. She even threw in how I could save fuel by temporarily removing a few unneeded objects. A walking talking encyclopedia. That's as close to a description of her that I could come up with at the moment.

Just to test her I passed her some of my own paperwork. After she handed it back to me I asked questions only someone with intimate knowledge of my company should know. I better remember not to leave any pertinent papers or files lying around. Man what I couldn't do with a mind like that. That brought me to what I'd like to do to her body. Crap. Hellfire and brimstone here I come.

I do feel some small smidgeon of guilt when I think of Stephanie. Why I'm not sure. It isn't as if we are committed or even have the sort of relationship that can lead to commitment. All it leads to is fantastic sex when she's on the outs with Morelli. Not enough downtime there for anything real to develop between us. It isn't as if I'm looking for that kind of relationship anyway. Nope! I'm a free agent and intend to stay that way.

She rattles off a bunch of words that didn't register beyond the fact that I knew she was speaking, in English, not some foreign language, so I have no legitimate excuse for not listening with my full attention. The fuel ratio blah, blah, blah...that's what I got out of what she said.

Can't say how much time went by when she once again spoke timidly, "So, now that you're home I guess I'll get a pillow and blanket and sleep in here. I wouldn't want to take your bed. It is a nice bed. I went out like a light the minute my head hit the pillow," wistfully she looks toward my bedroom.

"I don't suppose the couch is as comfortable as the bed. I'm not complaining, really I'm not. I'm ever so grateful to you for allowing me to stay here if only for one night. Don't worry about me, I'll do just fine here on the couch. If I need to get up in the middle of the night, is there another…do you have…I might need a powder room," she finished looking as if she deflated once the final word left her mouth. I noticed her shoulders drop at least two inches.

"Look, we're both adults here. The bed is a larger than king sized bed. We can sleep together without even noticing there's another person in the bed. I cross my heart I won't make any advances, on my honor as a boy scout. It's entirely up to you. I'm going to bed. I'm bone dead tired." I wasn't going to tell her I'd never been a scout other than scouting out the enemy during my tours overseas

I left her standing there biting her damn lip. I'm proud of myself. I resisted offering to kiss it better. I kiss things better in the best way. I don't even expect anything back. It's nice if the favor is returned but it isn't a prerequisite for me to _kiss it_ better. Hot damn, the apartment just might catch on fire tonight.

Punching the pillow for like the thousandth time, I flip onto my back. I've tossed and turned so much the sheet is wrapped around my waist. I think the blanket fell in the floor over an hour ago. I didn't have the will to retrieve it. Let it stay there until hell froze over for all I care. I sure am getting cranky. If I notice how cranky I am then I must really be feeling deprived. It's been a long dry spell.

I meant it about not touching her, sort of anyway. A man can't help what happens while he sleeps. I'm about to flip over again when I feel someone enter the room. It can only be one person, the person ruining my night. I have to be up early and already I've been deprived of two hours sleep.

Carefully she slips onto the mattress. My mattress doesn't move when you sits on the bed. You only know if someone joins you if you're expecting someone or have a sixth sense about these things like I do.

My heart is about to burst out of my chest. Damn her. I am behaving like a teenager after the prom. I'm a grown man. I've had lots of women, dozens. Why is this one bothering me? Is it wrong of me to wish Stephanie was in my bed instead of Miss You Better Not Touch Me Or My Brother Will Kill You, Racine?

"May I have some covers please? It's a little chilly. I'm used to tropical weather. I'll adjust but until then, please may I share your cover?" Crap! My mouth wants to offer more than sharing my blanket. More than she can handle at the moment I'll wager.

Flipping the sheet away from me I hear a quiet thank you. God help me stay perfectly still. If one of us moves this won't turn out well.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to all who are reading this. I do see there is a lot of traffic. Wish I had more reviews but at least it seems like my story is being read. **

**Chapter Three**

**The Morning After**

**Racine's POV**

I am not one to sleep late no matter how late I go to bed. I have to confess that this morning I stayed in bed long after I woke up.

Listening to the regular breaths Ranger took is soothing. At times my own breaths match his. Is this what it is like to share a life with someone, sharing even the breaths you take? This isn't in any way like that but we are sleeping together and I did unconsciously match my breathing to his.

If still on the island I would already have had breakfast then gone for my morning run. After that, my self-defense classes. Jane told me that if I competed in matches I could be a world class kick boxer. What woman wants to aspire to that? Not me. Kick boxing for me is only a way to expend excess energy while working out frustrations. My only frustrations thus far have been how to solve the unsolvable problems The Company gave me. Eventually they all got solved.

Rolling to my side I place my arm next to Ranger's. His is so much darker than mine. No matter how much sun I get I never burn or even tan. Jane is brown from the sun all year round. I often told her she should take more precautions when sunbathing. I don't suppose that's an issue now. Waiting to feel something, anything that would indicate I am grieving the loss of the people I knew as my parents I feel only regret that they felt pain before they died.

When I asked Jane why I am so different from everyone else she said it was my genes. I understand about what makes each person an individual so I took her comment at face value. For years I didn't think about that statement but now I know. There was something added to the human stew pot that made me.

I don't want to be part of any master race. I don't even want to be anyone's master nor do I want to be mastered.

Unless Stryker asks I won't tell him what stew pot he came from. Having arrived here early yesterday I used Ranger's computer to do some detective work. It's amazing how easy it is to get into files not meant to be seen by the general public if one has the right tools with the right skills to match. Lucky for me, I had both yesterday. My own computer is lost somewhere in the airport. No matter. I'll get something new, something state of the art like Ranger's. I have lived such a deprived life. I am ready to cut loose. I want to find the inner woman in me, the one that disturbs me at times. Wouldn't Ranger be surprised to meet that woman? What that woman wouldn't do to him, assuming she could get her hands on a manual to show her how.

Heat rising in my cheeks lets me know I am not that woman yet. I'll shed this timid never done anything little girl if it kills me. I want to live like other women live. I want sex darn it.

There surely is everything on the web. Now I wish I'd been interested in bypassing those blocks on my computer. I assumed there wasn't much more out there than was within the walls of the compound. As long as they kept feeding me puzzles and my needs were met I was a happy pet. That's what I've been all my life, someone's trained monkey. Well, not anymore. I have the means and the determination to break the chains holding me back. If Ranger won't oblige I'll find someone who will.

My attention returns to Ranger. I wonder if I touch him if he'll wake up. My finger is within an inch of his bicep when he growls, "Touch me and die."

Okay, I don't think he means it but why tempt fate just as I am about to become a woman of the world. Jumping out of bed I search for my clothes. In a fit of rebellion I tossed them around the room last night. Being neat all my life suddenly caught up with me. I wanted to be carefree. Let the clothes fall where they may. The downside to this philosophy is it makes clothes discarded harder to find.

Bending over I pick each piece up then turn to find Ranger sitting up in bed with a pillow tucked right in the center of his body. There is a pained look on his face. Maybe I should get him a doctor.

"Do you need a doctor? You don't look very well," I say in my most solicitous voice.

The angry growl I get in answer is totally uncalled for. Maybe he has an upset stomach. Not ever having been sick myself I only know what it's like from Jane and Howard suffering different ailments over the years. Tummy trouble doesn't sound like something I'd like to have. Poor Ranger. I should perhaps bring him a cup of tea. I did see some packets in one of his kitchen cupboards.

Patting his foot I say, "You stay in bed. I'll fix you a nice hot cup of tea." That always got rid of Jane's stomach cramps. Howard preferred a heating pad. "Would you like tea or a heating pad?"

Another growl came just before he tossed the pillow at me. I ducked then headed toward the kitchen. He no doubt is a tea man.

I am amazed how adaptable I am. Here I am fresh from a strange bed, one with a strange man in it and I don't feel anything but curiosity. That's not normal but then not much in my life has been normal.

Pouring a cup of tea for each of us I add them to the tray of bagels topped with cream cheese. I seldom got to eat cream cheese. When it came into the compound I made a glutton of myself.

Just in case he has a sweet tooth I added some strawberry jam. He doesn't strike me as a jam sort of person so maybe he bought it for his woman friend. An apple and orange round out the meal.

This is my first cooked meal. So what if I didn't actually cook anything. I did use the toaster for the bagels. That has to count for something. I even made a pot of coffee just in case the tea didn't go over well.

Just as I entered the bedroom Ranger came out of the steaming bathroom. A towel covered the lower half of him to just above the knee. It rode low on his hips. One wrong move and that towel will drop to the floor leaving him naked as the day he was born. Any other time in my life that thought would have only been a fleeting observation to me, now it only made me wonder what I could drop so he'd have to bend and pick it up. That other woman in me is coming out more and more. I am beginning to like her.

"What's this?" he asks in what I hope is a curious voice rather than a what _the hell have you been doing in my kitchen cooking my food _kind of voice.

"Breakfast silly. I thought since you weren't feeling well you might prefer to stay in bed. I cooked and everything. I even made coffee," I say proudly hoping I don't sound too much like an eager child fishing for some praise.

"Breakfast? I suppose I am hungry. I really should get going but since you went to all the trouble to make it we may as well eat it. We can sit here if that's alright with you. Will it bother you to sit on the bed with me when I only have a towel on?" He is clearly challenging me, daring me to place myself in reach of the big bad wolf.

"Why of course not. I've seen lots of men in towels before. I've even seen naked men before." No need to tell him the men had been dead ready for me to cut them open. Would that creep him out? It isn't as if they felt anything. I didn't kill them or anything gruesome like that. They were donor bodies bought and paid for by The Company so I could learn about the body. Is it weird that I autopsied my first person at the age of twelve? It did help me come up with a few drugs that help people with arthritis. Maybe I'll keep that information to myself. I don't want him to think I am a ghoul.

Gingerly I take a seat just a few inches from him. I hope my eyes don't travel down to where the towel separates showing a good bit of strong well muscled thigh. None of those men I saw naked looked anything like Ranger. Not once did I ever have the urge to sink my teeth into one of them. I'm beginning to wonder if the outside world is turning me into a vampire. I only vaguely know of vampires from what one of the cleaning ladies told me about a book she was reading. I wish I would have asked Maria more questions at the time but Jane caught us together. We weren't doing anything other than talking. From Jane's angry outburst one would think Maria was some perverted pedophile out to corrupt me. The next day Susan took Maria's place.

I wouldn't mind if Ranger was a vampire. I'd let him bite me. Everywhere. I'm getting better at controlling the tide of color when I feel embarrassed.

"I have to go to work today. Feel free to use anything in the apartment. I'll have my housekeeper check in on you. She'll take your order for lunch. If you need something let her know," he said as if it were a foregone conclusion that I would obey his command. I am done with obeying commands like a trained dog. I am no one's pet. I hate that other person putting the idea into my head that I wouldn't mind so much being Ranger's pet, bedmate, fly by night slam bam thank you mam. I have the internet to thank for those pearls of wisdom.

"Oh, I won't be staying in today. I have to go shopping. I don't have anything to wear other than what I had on yesterday when I arrived. I can't wear that all the time. The tooth brush is one I found underneath your sink. Besides, I want to see the mall. I've never seen a mall. In fact I've hardly seen anything. Is it fair for me to be stuck here while you go off having fun doing whatever it is you are going to do? Are you going to treat me like Jane and Howard did? If you are I can tell you right now I won't be staying here. I'll find a place of my own. In fact, that's _just_ what I'll do. Just as soon as I finish breakfast."

Ignoring his scowl I dig in. This food tastes better than any gourmet meal I've ever eaten. Not that I've had many. Simplistic and healthy was the credo my parents lived by when it came to me at least. They dined on whatever the heck they liked. I now regret suffering through all those boring meals. I wish just once I'd have thrown a dish against a wall. Maybe someday I'll go back and do that very thing. Not anytime soon though. I'm enjoying my new freedom far too much.

"I suppose I could get one of the men to escort you. Since you don't drive you'll need a driver." I'd like to smack that smug look right into next Tuesday but I have to let him think he's won. Once I get some money it will be goodbye Ranger, hello world. I'm sure if Stryker were here he'd see this from my perspective. He'd let me go my own way. And pigs fly. More than likely he'd padlock me in a cell deep in some underground bunker until I'd do or say anything just to see the light of day. Not really, Stryker isn't that kind of person, at least not with someone he loves. He loves me.

"That would be wonderful. Is Jolly available? He's such a sweet person. He didn't even mind sitting with me when he saw me crying. The way he smoothed his hand over my hair relaxed me. I wouldn't mind seeing him again. I'd like to buy him a gift to thank him for all he did for me." I sure as heck wasn't going to tell him I'd never flown in a plane before. Looking out the window seemed like a fun thing to do. That fun feeling lasted all of about three seconds. Panic set in. Rationally I know how safe planes are generally. I even could fly one if the need arose. I'm not quite sure what set off the waterworks. Maybe it was a combination of things. After all, I did just learn I came from a petri dish. Who knows I may have some primordial slime in me. Besides, my one grand show of tears amounted to a couple tiny droplets then nothing. I can't even cry like normal people.

"Jolly is busy. Yep, I am sure he is otherwise engaged," he said as he looked down at his watch. "I just realized my appointment got cancelled. I'm free all day."

That might put a crimp in my day. I'd like to spend a day with him, just not _this_ day. _This_ day I planned to break out of the mold I've been in all my life. I don't need a man, I need a woman. That sounded a tad kinky. What I need is a woman's input. All my clothes have been bought for me to serve the purpose of covering what needs to be covered. Style or what looks good on me weren't a big concern. It didn't matter to me as I had no one to impress. Why bother? Well now I want to bother.

"Well I suppose that would work. Do you know a lot about women's fashion? I found a store online called Victoria's Secret. For sure I want to go there. They have the most amazing things. I need to get my hair cut. It is too long. Long hair isn't in fashion according to the article I read yesterday," I end distractedly as I look down at me feet wondering where my shoes are.

"You're not going near any salon. Cutting your hair would be almost sacrilegious. Stryker wouldn't like it. For his sake I'll have to say no to that one. No haircuts," he concludes as if his word is law.

I would have said something scathing if he hadn't picked the end of my hair then carried it to his nose. He inhaled deeply. I am sure I heard him mutter, "Different smell. I'll be dam…darned."

That sort of took the wind out of my sails. I'd give myself a moment then regroup. He got dressed in some very tight jeans and t-shirt. Black from head to toe. Maybe he's color blind and having everything one color is easier than worrying about matching things. Then again, maybe he just liked black.

He'd gotten dressed in the bathroom then told me it was all mine. He looked fresh and clean. I'm sure he smelled all Ranger smell delicious. Me, I'd smell nice but my clothes looked like homeless rejects they were so wrinkled.

I couldn't help but gape at the assortment of cars in the garage. Even I knew they were expensive powerful beasts. I felt the itch to drive one. I wonder if Ranger would give me lessons.

"Will you give me lessons Ranger? I think I'm of an age when most people my age do this sort of thing all the time. This will be my first time so go easy on me," I add a smile at the end hoping to win his consent.

"Lessons? What kind of lessons? You better not be talking about what I'm thinking about," he states with hands planted firmly on his hips. There is look in his eyes that contradict what he is saying. Oh boy!

"_Driving_. I'd like you to teach me to drive. What did you think I meant?"

"Driving, yeah that's what I thought you meant." His eyes drilling a hole in me give me the idea something else is on his mind other than driving.

"If you don't have time I am sure Jolly would do it or maybe one of your other men. They wouldn't mind giving me lessons would they?" I ask hopefully.

"They wouldn't mind but then I'd have to kill them. When Stryker gets home he'd kill me. If any _lessons _are going to be given I'll be the one giving them God help me," he says and almost raised his hand to cross himself. Is the prospect of riding with me so frightening? Well maybe he has a point. I've only sat in a golf cart. the car Stryker drove on the island and the one Jolly picked up at the airport. And why did he put such emphasis on the word lessons? Am I missing something here? I wonder if the internet could clue me in.

Ranger put me in a small sporty black thing. Now that I look around they are all black. Wow, he sure must love the color black. Me, I'm more of a red person or maybe I could live with black if it is something I'm going to wear. Some sexy number with a split up to my waist. Wouldn't that be something? Bet I'd get some looks wearing something like that.

Only after we left the garage and traveled several blocks did it occur to me that I never did find my shoes. Ranger sort of derailed my thought process. No one's ever done that before. I sure am having a lot of firsts. So far Ranger has shared most of them with me. I wouldn't mind sharing all of them with him. If not, then maybe someone really fantastic will come along.

After Ranger parked he came around to let me out. Hesitantly I say, "I can't get out. I don't have any shoes. I lost them somewhere in your apartment. I think I kicked them off in the living room. Might have been in the entryway. They have to be there somewhere I just couldn't find them. Later I forgot all about them."

I sure am getting good at lying. I hadn't really forgotten them. I never forget anything. Ranger doesn't need to know that. Unless Stryker spilled the beans that little gem about my memory isn't in any of those papers detailing my life.

I lied because I didn't want Ranger to make me stay in the apartment while he went out to have fun. Facing Ranger's bewildered face I couldn't continue to lie. Not to me anyway. I'm okay with lying to Ranger.

"How does a person lose a shoe inside an apartment? You've only been there one day and already you're losing things. I don't even want to think what you might lose next," he says while looking down at my feet. I'd borrowed a pair of his black socks. Did I forget to mention I lost my socks too?

"I lost my socks."

"I can see that."

"They won't allow me inside due to health codes. I'd be in violation. You might even be in violation for bringing me in. You don't want to be violated do you?" I ask in genuine concern. From the expression on his face one would think I'd asked him to suck a raw egg through his nose. His jaw is clenching in an alarming manner. I sure hope he isn't having some kind of seizure. If I had my laptop I could find all I needed to know so I could save him. First chance I get I'm going to read every medical book I can find. You never know when you might need to rescue someone.

Cutting into a body doesn't qualify me to treat any medical ailments other than those The Company specifically wanted to address.

Jerking his thumb in the direction of the mall behind us he says, "I wouldn't want to be violated by anyone in there. You on the other hand…Pretend you didn't hear that. I know for dam…dang sure I'm going to try to erase it from my memory."

Getting back in the car we drive through areas with lots of traffic and some with very little. We even drove through an apartment complex. I wonder who lives there. Next we drive by a block of modest houses. He slowly drives by one then speeds up. No one home if the empty driveway is any indication.

Several more stops at different locations give no clue what he's looking for. I don't care; I'm just enjoying seeing everything. I wish he wouldn't drive by so fast. I'd like to get a better look at everything.

I haven't been paying attention to names of streets. I only concentrate on the turns and the landmarks. A map is forming in my head. If we drive another hour I bet I can find anyplace you can think of in Trenton.

After parking in front of a building with Vinnie's Bail Bonds painted on the window he puts his head down against his hands which are gripping the wheel causing his knuckles to turn white. Is he having one of those stomach cramps he had earlier or maybe the onset of another seizure? I really must read those medical books.

"Damn woman is never around when she's needed," he mutters confusing me.

Without another word he gets out of the car. When he opens my door I am nearly beside myself with anticipation. Which store will we enter? The bookstore, bail bonds or the beauty shop. Ranger may be a book person but he is definitely not a beauty shop person. Since he vetoed my plan to cut my hair that isn't our destination either. That leaves the bond shop. I haven't committed a crime. I didn't break into his apartment, I had a key.

Entering the building my nose wrinkles at the smell. It is hard to single out any one odor. There are so many. Standing this close to Ranger my senses are filled with Ranger smell.

A big black woman says, "Well look what the wind blew in. Who's your new friend Ranger? Something you want to talk about? Something you need to confess?"

"This is Angel." For a moment there is a confused look on his face. I might have the same look on mine. Maybe he thinks I need an alias. That sounds reasonable. Angel isn't very inventive but I like it. I like when Ranger says it.

"Angel, this is Lula." He then turns to a very attractive white woman sitting on a couch. "Stephanie Plum this is Angel Crawford. She's under my protection until her brother can come and retrieve her."

I don't care for the retrieve part. Once again I am sounding like a dog.

Assessing the woman in front of me I'd hazard a guess this is the woman who once lived in Ranger's apartment. From the hungry look she is giving him I am left with no doubts. She still wants him. Glancing upward I can't see what is in his eyes but they are looking at one another longer than is considered polite.

Grabbing hold of Ranger's jacket I give it a tug. When he looks down at me there is a remnant of something soft yet more compelling. To have him look at me like that I might let him put a collar on me and call me his bitch. Wow! That came out of nowhere. That inner woman is sure making headway.

"Behind the desk is Connie," he adds offhandedly.

Pulling on the front of his shirt I say, "Ask if one of them might have a pair of shoes I can borrow. I take a size four."

"Of course you would," the woman called Stephanie says with a lopsided smile. I can see the curiosity in her eyes mixed with other emotions I am not familiar with.

"No size four here. Don't even try to lie Connie. That ship won't sail. This big black woman has a big black woman foot. Tried to squeeze into a pair of fours once but the fuckers split right down the middle," she says in disgust. I like this woman. She's the first black person I've seen up close. She may be on the large side and looking into her eyes that might extend to her heart as well.

"Angel, would you mind going next door to the beauty salon for some drinks? I'm sure they have a soda machine. I have some business to discuss with Stephanie. You can get acquainted with everyone else when you get back. Take your time. Look at some of the books with hair styles in them. Don't for God's sake ask for a haircut. I'd hate to have to take down anyone wielding a hair dryer in one hand and clippers in the other," he says then offers me a wad of bills.

I must start a tally. I'll send him a check or maybe just give him the cash. Stryker left enough in several banks to keep me for many years to come. The bulk is in the Cayman Islands but several banks in the tri-state area have large amounts of money in them. He even set up a saving account with some ready cash. All I have to do is go to the bank. Stryker somehow managed to have some id made for me. That will gain me access to all my accounts. That is pinned to the inside of my bra.

The door hasn't even fully closed behind me when they all begin to speak at once. Ranger's voice speaking rather loudly silences all the others. I'm with them. I'd go silent too if he yelled at me like that. I wonder if he has trouble with his nerves or anger issues.

Disobeying Ranger's direct order I do ask for a haircut. The man, Mr. Charles, squeaked, honest to goodness he squeaked. "Oh heavens no. To cut this would violate every code I live by. Trim maybe, cut, not on my watch. Sit, I'll wash then give you a little curl for body. Sure wish we could bottle this color. There are some close products out there but nothing this fine. Does the carpet match the drapes?" he asks leaving me to wonder what he means.

My silence doesn't faze him as he continues, "Bet your man loves to sift his fingers through all these long silky strands. I am gay but I'd switch teams just so I could feel this whenever the fancy struck," he giggled. Actually giggled. I have missed so much. I've missed hearing a gay man giggle. Now I can cross that off my list. Gay is an apt description, he smiles constantly. As soon as I have paper and pen I am beginning a list. I already know what is at the top of my list.

An hour later I leave the shop liking the bouncy curls Charles put in my hair. Trying to glance over my shoulder to see if they sway with the movement of my hips I crash into a solid wall. When did I stray from the sidewalk? The twitching of my nostrils informs me Ranger is the wall I hit.

"Oh sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going," I sound distracted. Well I am still wondering about the sway of my hair.

"It helps if you look where you're going, not where you've been," he says in a much more cheerful tone than earlier.

"Stand here. Watch me walk away. Tell me if my hair sways along with my hips. Charlie said it does. I wish I'd looked in the mirror. Are you ready? I'm going to walk now." I didn't hear a reply but I started walking anyway.

"Are you looking?"

"Yeah, I'm looking. One more nail in my coffin. I'm going straight to hell. Stryker won't have to worry about me. The devil's going to come take me home."

"What? That makes no sense. Devil, what devil? Are you a religious fanatic? I skimmed some articles about people like you. There are places you can go for help. If you can't afford it I'll pay. It will be my treat for all you've done for me," I send him what I hope is a sincere smile and not a come-hither invitation. Those men in those magazines may as well hang it up. Ranger beats every single one of them hands down. Too bad he has seizures and is a religious fanatic.

"So, did my hair sway or not."

"Yep, it sways real nice. Swayed like no hair ever swayed before," he says somewhat dramatically. I'm not certain he's serious or teasing me. Come to think of it I do think he's making fun of me. Well darn it. I should have asked a woman in the first place.

Pushing past him I enter the bond office. I didn't even have to bother getting their attention. For whatever reason they all had their noses pressed to the front window. The window will now need to be cleaned. I wouldn't want that job.

"I know we've just met and all but would you mind doing me a big favor? Come out and watch me walk down the sidewalk. Tell me if my hair sways when I walk. Charlie from next door says it does. He says it's sexy. He also said it would draw men's eyes to my…to….to the part in the rear side of my jeans. Since I want to draw men's attention so I can lose my virginity I need all the ammunition I can get. I'm sort of new at this in case you haven't noticed," I end with a rush.

"Well no shit…oh pardon my nasty mouth. What I meant to say was no shooting. Well maybe that isn't what I meant either. Stephanie, you tell her what I mean," Lula says drawing all eyes to that person.

"Me, why me? Connie you tell her. I'm not going to get in the middle of this. Keep me out," she says adamantly. I swear there is a look now in her eyes that might be resentment or something along those lines. Someone more experienced would know exactly what had Stephanie's dander up. Couldn't be me. I hadn't even spoken to the woman.

"What she meant to say Angel is that you look innocent, not in a derogatory way but in a good way. It's refreshing," Connie concludes. I didn't get formally introduced to her but since I can read I read the name printed on the plague on her desk.

A huff of released air comes just before Stephanie says, "Give me a break."

Since she is someone Ranger has feelings for I don't want to alienate her. Trying to win her over I ask, "Where do you shop? I love that blouse. It looks good on you. I could never carry anything off like that, I don't have the confidence. It takes a woman sure of herself to wear clothes with such daring style."

What a load of horse stuff. I'd read a few magazines now suddenly I am a fashion critic? The flattery part I learned from the internet. I can see a pattern here. The internet is a very important tool. One I will use to my advantage.

Fluffing her hair Stephanie relents enough to say, "I suppose I have a few hours. I don't have any skips needing to be brought in right this minute. I could use a new pair of jeans. Maybe a purse and shoes."

They suck in some air looking behind me. I feel the pressure of his hands on me even as I felt his presence behind me. Ranger is a force to be reckoned with. He sure holds the three women enthralled. I'm not facing him so I am immune to the power of his eyes. His hands on my shoulder and the vibrant purr of his voice in my ear are another matter.

"Just so I know, how did you pay for the hair….stuff?" Ranger says while waving his hand around my head. I feel in danger of being slapped across my face.

"Well it's the funniest thing. Charlie, known professionally as Mr. Charles, asked me to let everyone feel me, well not me but my hair. Some of those men just didn't want to let go but Charlie handled them just fine. And guess what? He invited me to his house for a party. I asked him what I should wear. You know what he said? He said nothing but a smile. Isn't that funny? As if I'd go anywhere naked. It is funny though. Anyway he said not to worry about my hair. I could repay him tonight after the party. Can I go? Please say I can go. I won't ask for another thing if you let me go. I promise." Do promises count if your fingers are crossed?

Ranger is in front of me, the three women are in back of me. Since no one appears to want to turn traitor I guess I'm in the clear on this one. Finger crossing is also new. Isn't the internet grand?

"Maybe I should just stroll on over next door and have a friendly chat with good old Charlie Boy," Ranger says in a voice that on the surface sounds friendly but cool. The eyes are a giveaway. What can he possibly have against a sweet kind man like Charlie?

"Charlie doesn't like to be called Charlie Boy. It reminds him of his painful school days and the bully that beat him up daily. Someone should have taken that bully by the scruff of his neck and shaken some common decency into him." By now I am feeling anger toward some boy I never met and is likely now a fine upstanding citizen.

When Ranger would have taken off Stephanie grabs his arm bringing him to an immediate stop. "He's gay and he's harmless. The _party_ is likely a poetry reading or a séance. Whatever mood he's in today."

Scrubbing his hands down his face then dragging his fingers through his hair Ranger looks more disheveled than he did this morning. His short hair is standing on end.

"Goodness, look what you've done to your hair. Here, let me fix it for you," I said then without giving any thought to my action I stood in front of Ranger reaching up with both hands. Using my fingers I use them to comb his hair back into place. Somewhere along the line the combing came to be more about the silkiness of Ranger's hair added with the heat from his body. That heat travelled all the way from him to a place between my thighs that caught me by surprise as waves of something like pleasure washed over me. I could feel my face warming but couldn't muster the will to care. Touching Ranger like this felt like nothing else I've ever experienced.

As much as I'd like to take this further we are standing in the middle of a business with a big plate-glass window letting any interested passerby take a good long look. Turning around I am sure my three cohorts got an eyeful. If their open mouths are any indication I've shocked the horse stuff out of them. Good!

Behind me I hear Ranger sounding like a bullfrog as he attempts to clear his throat. I sure hope he isn't coming down with a cold. Not even I know how to cure a cold. I do know how to treat one.

Feeling Ranger's hands lying heavily on my shoulders again I nearly buckle, not under the weight of his hands but from the sheer pleasure of his touch. Would it be too impolite to ask them all to leave? I suppose so since this isn't my place of business but it is theirs.

"Here's the deal. You go with them, you stay with them, you come home with them. Understood? No funny stuff like hair touching. He…heck, let's have no funny stuff of any kind."

Did I imagine that squeeze just before he stepped back? My imagination is working overtime. It must be that strange sensation I got when I combed Ranger's hair. All I know is my fingers are ready to become his personal groomer. Whatever comes after that he'll have to teach me. Would it be impolite to ask Stephanie? I should be jealous and on some level I am but who can blame the woman for crawling under the covers with Ranger? Wow! Now I am remembering that kiss and all the other stuff from last night. Is that what comes after the hair grooming thing? If so, we'd skipped the hair all together last night.

Taking a person apart feature by feature is supposed to point out their flaws. If Ranger has any I can't find them. That Morelli guy Stephanie chose over Ranger must be some Adonis or at the very least one of those vampires Maria told me about. The one in the book could bend the will of any man or woman with only his eyes. His sensual pull left women willing to let him drain every drop of blood from their bodies.

"Alright, no funny stuff of any kind." This time I didn't cross my fingers because the things I wanted to do were not funny at all. Fun but not funny.

I hurried out before he changed his mind. I could see the gears in his brain already working around so that his good sense returned. Mine should too but this may be my one and only chance to live as other women do, for that matter as men do. I want freedom!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I probably should have written this little blurb on the first chapter. My story takes place before any of the nonsense happened in the books after about 9. I am reading them and do get a laugh now and then but come on, Joe and Ranger are like cardboard cutouts if the reviews can be believed. Since there are hundreds I have to think they are a fair assessment. **

**I don't like how Stephanie has turned into a bedhopping tart. Have both men, one at a time with some time inbetween each man.. Let's face it, Stephanie has no will power and very little common sense. A bounty hunter without a gun? Come on. That's just crazy after so many books. At first it was funny, now, not so much. **

**Got that rant out of the way for the time being. This story is sort of an AU. Lots of what happened after book 9 didn't happen here. I may put some things in but I'm not leaning in that direction. **

**I hope I haven't driven off any readers with my ranting. This is just how I feel about the characters and how I'd like to see them go. **

**Chapter Four**

**Killing Time **

**Ranger's POV**

I resist the urge to go after Lula's car. What I really want to do is rip Racine out of that car and deposit her someplace devoid of anything remotely tempting, away from me in particular. I have willpower in spades, just not when it comes to denying my sexual urges. I don't have unsafe sex anymore, not since my early years. I'd been undisciplined and thoughtless. My stint in the Army straightened me right out with one big slip while on leave. The result I can't think of as a mistake as my daughter Julie was conceived.

That thing Racine did with my hair, how the hell does a man withstand something like that? Anyone else even thinking of touching me would be dead seconds after the idea entered their mind. Possibly with the exception of Stephanie.

I could have stopped Racine but what would be the fun in that? I like danger; danger and I are old friends. Racine might put danger on a new level altogether. There is a chance I might become addicted, to her. This is disturbing. I need a distraction, fast.

I put a call into the office to see if my morning meetings I cancelled can now be rescheduled for this afternoon. It's short notice but this client is keen to sign up for my services. They will be willing to give me some leeway.

While I'm on the phone with Hal I ask him to look into The Company. Honest to God, that's the name Stryker gave me. My gut feeling is that it's a large group of companies working together with one goal in mind. If what I suspect is true they have world domination in mind. Fuck that. No one dominates me. I shut down the voice telling me Racine could dominate me any day or night of the week. I'd even let her cuff me.

My meeting goes well. I now have another multimillion dollar account. With Julie getting older it is time to start thinking of college. It's hard to believe I have a daughter much less one on the verge of becoming a young woman. Lately I've had to resist the urge to put her behind lock and key. No more so than last week as I had to watch the young males sniffing the air around her. My looming presence is likely the only thing that kept them from circling then setting upon their prey. Living the life I do I'm glad Julie has a mother and father she can count on every minute of the day. I'm a fly by the seat of my pants kind of guy most of the time. I'm evolving but not enough to raise a tender female like my daughter. I crush the niggling idea I shouldn't be allowed near anyone like Racine either.

With time to kill I drive around trying to see if there are any spy types hanging around. They might blend with the general populace but I can pick them out. It takes one to know one. I do find some suspicious vehicles carrying four men. Unless they are carpooling they are a unit of goons out to do no good. They may just be some local talent plying their drug trade. Stryker seems to think anyone looking for Racine will not have had time yet to know where she is. I'll assume they will be here sooner than later. Best to be prepared. I hate being caught by surprise. Racine's sudden appearance in my life was unexpected; I can't say it is regrettable, not yet anyway.

Deciding no one I follow is any threat to Racine I head to the grocery store to pick up a salad. I don't normally eat ready to go salads from the grocery store but I don't want to go back to the apartment. I have a sneaky feeling I'd plop down on my bed and reminisce about last night and this morning. Since I don't want to test that theory I'll keep my butt in the car burning up some very expensive gas.

After my lunch I use my onboard computer to do some research of my own. Using the names of a few of the drugs Racine created it is easy to go from one link to another. On the surface everything looks innocent enough. It will take time to get deep into company secrets. I know for a fact several of them are dummy companies. Ones the owner's would rather not be connected to. Very few nutcases come right out and say they believe in genocide or that they plan to take over the world, the smart ones don't at least.

Growing antsy as time passes I head back to the Vinnie's. Shit! I forgot Connie went with Racine too. When has a locked door ever kept me out? Vinnie really should get some better security. Maybe I should offer him my services. I can't help but be amused to imagine Vinnie keeling over as I hand him my bill. My services don't come cheap.

Sifting through the skip files lying on the top of Connie's desk I glance down at my watch. I could pick up one before they get back. Connie can take care of the paperwork later. I'm in the mood to kick someone's ass. I choose the nastiest felon in the pile. Poor bastard, he doesn't have a clue what hailstorm I am about to rain down on him. All my frustrations from this morning can now be released in action. So what if I have to get a little physical. Please God, let him try to resist, very strenuously.

Finding the address on Stark Street I park out front of a dilapidated building. The apartment is on the second floor. Since this low life is selling drugs to kids still in primary school I don't feel any guilt working its way up to deter me from using his face like a punching bag. Anything short of an act of God won't be enough to stop me.

Glancing up I see windows with glass instead of boards like some of the other buildings have. How convenient, they provide a short cut to the pavement. Makes my job easier, no over the shoulder carryout. I dislike hauling dirty assed felons smelling like they wallowed in a cesspool.

Hammering my fist on the door I shout, "Billie Tanner, you're in violation of your bond. I'm here to escort you back to jail, you moron." Protocol is out the window. I'm too anxious to slam my fist into something. I can almost feel the bones breaking beneath my knuckles and I haven't even laid eyes on the dirt bag yet.

I don't even try to be quiet since I am hoping he'll try to make a run for it. My luck is in when Billie shouts out just as he tries to ram me, "You fucking bounty hunters should all be shot. I'm just trying to earn a living you fucking bastard."

I snag him with my arm around his neck as he tries to slip past me. I say in a friendly voice, "Now Billie, is that any way to talk? Bet your momma would wash your mouth out with soap. Since she isn't here guess I'll have to step into the role of disciplinarian." I sure am getting talkative lately. Come to think of it this talkative streak started the night Racine took up residence in my apartment. Wonder what this means.

He struggles while flailing his fists around trying to connect with any part of me. This suits me just fine. I'll knock him around some then use the shortcut to get him down to the car. I think the sudden landing will take care of any need to cuff him. I can do that just before I hand him off once I have the proper paperwork.

Releasing his neck I spin him around so I can shove my fist into his face. Damn that felt good. I do it a couple more times feeling better with each blow. I justify this violence by thinking of all the poor mothers who have watched their child being lowered into the ground after a drug overdose. Cops wish they could do this but the law prohibits them from manhandling prisoners. Lawsuits are a bitch. Me, I don't worry about lawsuits. I simply make sure there aren't any witnesses.

"You fucking Mexican. I'll sue you for this. I'll take every dime you have. Bet you stole if off some poor decent white guy too," he says as he snorts loudly bringing mucus into his mouth. His intention had been to spit on me. I showed him the error of his ways. I'd already decided he was for sure going out the window after his racist comment. I don't put up with racist comments from anyone, especially not some lowlife redneck trash.

Sending him flying out the window felt damn good. Peering out through the remaining shards of glass I see him lying amongst the tons of trash inside black bags. A few have come open so that Billie gets his fair share of trash. Am I good or what? I only feel a slight regret he missed hitting the pavement. If I killed him I'd have to go to all the trouble to get rid of the body. I don't have time today for that.

Once on the sidewalk I stare down at my handiwork. Billie isn't talking any trash now. Bending down I check for a pulse. Yep, still breathing. Damn shame. His eyes open but I don't think he is alert enough to make any sudden moves. Grabbing the front of his shirt I pull him up so he can see my face.

"For your information I am not Mexican, I am Cuban, you moron." Then bam I knock his lights out. Now I have a problem. I sure as hell don't want to have to pick him up. I don't even want him in my car. I'm working my way to the fact that Billie wasn't ever going to make it to jail today. I'd used him as a scapegoat for my frustration.

Now I have a good reason for leaving his sorry ass to rot with the rest of the garbage. If we're lucky the rats will come along and pick him clean. It's a sure bet if he stays where he is very long two legged rats will strip him bare. I don't want to be around to see that. I'm a tad bit sadist not one iota masochist. I'd have to poke my eyes out after seeing this lowlife piece of shit naked.

Glancing at my watch I see I still have time to go back to the apartment for a quick shower. I have Billie cooties on me, not to mention some other nasty things I might have picked up by touching him.

After my shower I feel reborn, well refreshed anyway. It is now four. The women left around nine. Even taking into consideration there are three women seven hours should be plenty of time.

I stick my head in the office to let them know I am going out again. They know how to reach me if an emergency arises. It goes without saying they are curious about my new houseguest. They won't ask but that won't keep them from wondering. For safety's sake I had to tell them part of the story. I left out the gory details. Knowing she is under my protection is enough for them to fall in behind me. Toss in the possibility of bashing in some bad guys' heads and they're in heaven, not that they'd want her or anyone else to get hurt, other than the baddies of course. Besides, they all remembered Stryker. Everyone liked and respected him. They wouldn't trust any female they cared about within a mile of him but they would trust him with their life. The same can be said for me. I'm not trustworthy with women either unless they are clients or virgins. One virgin might not be on the excluded list.

After several passes down the street where Vinnie's is located my patience is wearing thin. The blip on the screen that is Racine is still stalled at the mall. Stephanie's blip is there too. My mind races with all the things that could go wrong. Someone would give me a call if anything happened, unless the world went topsy-turvy in Stephanieland. Things do tend to happen to her.

I get a call from Mike. He's tailing Lula's car. They just left the mall. A half hour is all the patience I have left. A second after that and there would be hell to pay. Guess who would pay? Little Miss Pure As The Driven Snow, that's who. I'd make it hurt so good.

Someday soon I'll have to come to terms with Stephanie and what I feel for her. Any relationship with her is a dead end street. For a long time I felt okay with that. Hell, even now I'm not sure if I want anything more than a warm woman in my bed. Until I get this part of my life figured out I'll try very hard to keep my distance from Racine. I'm not worried about Stryker so much as I am worried about destroying Racine's purity. I am a jaded mean son-of-a-bitch sometimes. Far be it from me to rip off those rose colored glasses she wears. At the moment she sees everything in a positive light.

I don't want to be the one to show her the darker side of human nature. She's already been exposed to it in a small way. She's taking things in stride now but who's to say tomorrow, one day next week or a month from now the floodgates will open up letting out all her pain in one gigantic flood of raw emotion. The very thought of her in tears causes a pain in my chest. I'd as soon cut my right arm off rather than see her suffer one second.

Knowing myself all too well, I know once a certain level has been reached only killing me will stop me from taking what I want. It's happened before just not with a woman. If a woman says no, that means no. Of course trying to seduce her into saying yes is fine by me. She'll still have the option to say no, she just won't want to.

Maybe I should spend one more night with Stephanie just so I can compare how I feel with her against how I feel for Racine. Of course that would entail spending a night with Racine. A far cry from the one we shared last night.

I'm somewhat disturbed when the thought of spending some time in the sack with Stephanie isn't as appealing as it once was. What the hell? Oh no, Ranger my man, you're not going that route. Get a grip. If Stephanie doesn't float your boat anymore then find someone who does, quick.

Falling for Racine is the road to hell. If I do ever lose my sense of right and wrong and sleep with her, I'd have to marry her. The idea of marrying anyone breaks me out in a cold sweat. I've lived alone for too long. I like being my own man responsible to no one but myself. None of my responsibilities are the kinds that weigh me down. My business is exciting. Something different every day. I call the shots. If I want to go, I go.

This situation can't go on much longer. I have to make an effort to end it sooner than later. If I had any idea where Stryker was I'd send the marines to haul him home. Let him keep tabs on his own sister. He should know better than to saddle me with someone like her. He knows how I am, hell he's almost as bad as I am. Remembering a certain night in Paris I think he might be worse. I think France may even have passed some laws against Stryker setting foot on their soil. We just made it out of the country by the skin of our teeth. Never sleep with the wife of a French police chief. It will never end well. I thought saving his ass that time evened our score but leave it to Stryker to tip the scales again.

We'd been hired to protect the daughter of an Arab sheik. Our motorcade got ambushed one night on the way home from a dinner with the American ambassador. All I remember is bombs, bullets and lots of blood, my blood. Stryker not only saved the young woman under our care but he carried me seven miles to the nearest hospital. With enemies searching for us we could only travel at night. It took a little over a day with only the little food and water Stryker could scavenge at every small village we came across. Our client being from a high profile family, we couldn't run the risk of being captured by her father's enemies.

Not once did he think about leaving me even though I told him to, in fact I ordered him to. He could move more quickly if he only had the girl to worry about. She didn't have a scratch on her. That earned my company a six figure bonus, a high six figure bonus.

Thinking of money brings another crimp in the idea of any working relationship between Racine and me. The woman is loaded. I'm rich, she's richer. Try over ten times richer. Money is only money. It buys the necessities as well as some perks. I've been on both spectrums of the money meter. I haven't always been a wealthy man.

I like to think I'm a modern man but deep down I am a throwback to my heritage. Men are the head of the house, women are the stabilizing influence. We hunt they cook. If that makes me a chauvinist so be it. I think my chauvinism only extends to home and hearth. A woman not under my roof or my protection can do what the hell she wants.

The blip moving on the screen lets me know they are on the move again. I have to resist the urge to push my foot to the floor. All I need is to get into a chase with a local cop itching to write someone a ticket. I can go fast I just don't need to go over 70. That's about right in Trenton road ethics. A sign says forty go 70.

All in all I am glad I let Racine go on her shopping trip with Stephanie, Lula and Connie. The time apart has given me some insights into what ails me. The cure is forbidden. Let' s hope Stryker returns before I crack and gobble the cure whole.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**Angel's Day Out**

**Racine's POV**

Sitting beside Stephanie in Lula's Firebird I could smell Ranger on her all the way across the seat. Her lip looked swollen. Squinting my eyes, I detect a small cut on her lower lip. Without a doubt I know Ranger kissed her within an inch of her life. Ranger didn't know any other way. Not that I know him all that well. It's just a feeling I get.

Before I could recall the words they are out, "He kissed you didn't he, hard? And you kissed him back, hard."

She turned to me with denial fading into nothingness before the lie could pass her lips. A firm set to her mouth along with the straightening of her back is some form of challenge. Does she mean to fight me? How do I tell her I'd kill her with the first blow? My lessons hadn't gone into restraint. All maim and kill. Countless instructors came and went over the years.

"It wasn't my fault. Tell her Connie, it wasn't my fault. I didn't drag him to the back room did I? He dragged me. It was on the bizarre side anyway. He gave me some information about you, not everything, just enough for me to know we have to be cautious. So yeah like I said, he kissed me but it wasn't like any kiss before. Afterward he threw up his hands and said the strangest thing, he said he was going straight to hell and Stryker would be shoveling hot coals behind him. I know most of Ranger's men. I've never met anyone called Stryker," she said sounding a little put out.

"Stryker is my brother, or Alex Crawford. Really he's my half brother. He put his trust in Ranger by asking Ranger to take care of me until he feels it is safe to come back," I recite all the while studying the woman beside me.

"No shit, Ranger got a Stryker working for him? Man that Ranger sure does go in for men with lethal weapon names. Tank, Snake and now a he called that cause he strikes guick as a snake?" Lula turns around to look at me.

"I don't know why he's called Stryker. He spells it S-t-r-y-k-e-r. I think he just wants to different. He was in the service wih Ranger. That's where he picked up his nickname."

"Well now, when we gonna meet this Stryker? I gotta add him to the list. He don't work for Ranger now but he used to. Ranger has a shitload of them guys named after weapons. Well shit, I sure do apologize for my fresh mouth. Pay no attention to me," she sends Connie a grimace as she raises her shoulder in a shrug.

Having my fill of everyone treating me with kid gloves I use Ranger's hand throwing gesture to indicate I am fed up. "What is wrong with everyone? Why is everyone always saying they're sorry for saying perfectly fine curse words?"

Turning in my direction Stephanie says, "It was Ranger. He doesn't want you being polluted by the general populace. He thinks you're…delicate. I think his exact words were that you were as innocent as a new born babe. He's concerned there are people who will take advantage of your…ingénue status. He did mention we were to surround you so no male could deflower you. Can you imagine Ranger using such an antiquated word?" The two passengers in the front seat shook their heads no.

"Well I couldn't either. I even asked him to repeat it. That's when the kiss happened. It meant nothing. Just a little kiss to thank me for helping," she said with a wistful sigh. Curling my fists in my lap so they don't misbehave by wrapping around Stephanie's neck I count to ten trying to calm whatever this emotion is I am feeling. I suspect it jealousy.

"Your ass. If you believe that I own a bridge in Brooklyn I'll sell you, cheap," Lula said without making any apologies for cursing.

"I might like to buy your bridge. I could you know. I have the money. I could even pay you in cash," I offer not necessarily wanting to purchase a bridge but it might make them stop thinking of me as a child.

"Get outta here. Are you for real?" Lula asks me douting my truthfulness or sanity. If I told her about how I grew up what would she have to say then?

I told them about the different banks with cash waiting for me to pick up. I also told them about the $30 million sitting in the Caymans. They still didn't believe me so I took them to one of the banks and used the key I had hidden in my bra as well as the id Stryker gave me. Within an hour I had just under $10,000. The banker advised me that anything $10,000 or greater got a red flag. They explained what that meant. I didn't want that to happen as I'd already been red flagged by association at the airport. Jolly had been more aggravated than afraid. I'd been terrified.

Upon request I let each of them toss handfuls of money into the air so it could rain down on them. Lula kept saying "make it rain, make it rain". When I looked at her confused she explained what it meant in strip clubs. Immediately a strip club outing went on my list.

I'd like to say I acted my age but apparently an adolescent around fourteen is my age, my age when compared using life experience as the measuring stick.

I wanted to see and do everything. I ate so many different foods I thought I would be sick. That didn't happen so I ate some more, especially chocolate. I liked how I felt when I ate chocolate.

I wanted to get my ears pierced. They didn't see anything wrong with that. The problem came when the sales girl tried to sell me a belly ring. It came with a free piercing. In her opinion girls with belly rings were hotter than fresh horseshit. Not a pleasant analogy but it conveyed what she meant. I wanted to be hotter than horseshit so I told her I'd like the belly ring and piercing.

"No way, Ranger would kill me or at least maim me," Stephanie said. She had the support of the other two as they nodded their heads like the little dog on Lula's dashboard.

I am learning subterfuge. Dangle pretty dresses and shoes in front of their faces and the rest of the day could be mine. At first only Lula accepted my offer to buy them anything they could fit into one of those big bags the stores keep for larger merchandise. I'd seen several people carrying them.

Losing them in the clothing store was so simple a child could do it. Maybe that's why it was so easy, I am almost a child in everything but age.

I picked out the ring I wanted then let Carol go to work. Honestly if I had known how painful it was going to be I might have gone with just another piercing on my ears. I drew the line when Carol suggested absolutely everybody who was anybody got their eyebrows pierced.

I had only seen a couple people in the mall with their brows sporting several rings. Carol had so many piercings I suppose some day it had to come to her brows. They now had three, each. I gringed when she told me about the ones in places that just seemed wrong to pierce. Now those had to hurt like a...dare I think it...yes, it would hurt like a bitch. Why the word bitch is used to explain so many distateful things is something maybe I'll look up on the net.

Showing no ill will over losing a sale Carol pointed me in the direction of the store that sold clothes made just for the Goth populace. Carol was a Goth. I am a Goth in waiting. No brows, nipples, or anything else gets pierced on me.

Carol wore a shirt in black of course. What made it sexy is that it tied just under her breasts. That's it, it tied. No buttons or anything else.

An eager sales girl showed me just the pair of low-rider jeans that would give maximum exposure to my new belly ring. I bought so much Amy thought she might quit and live off her commission for a month or two.

The hairs on the back of my neck alerted me that someone was following me. It didn't feel like anyone with friendly intentions. Pretending to look in a shop window I saw two tall men trying to look casual and failing miserably. It must be hard to look casual when wearing a suit. I let them follow me for a while. Needing to free up my hands I tossed my old clothes into the garbage. I don't know if I felt something might happen or if this was just a happy coincidence. All I had left was the little shoulder bag slug across my chest crosswise. Amy said it made it harder for thieves to steal your purse when worn this way.

Finding the map of the mall I studied it until I knew every inch except for those areas off limits to the public. If I climbed up the drain in the restroom I could remove a tile in the ceiling. Then I could use the crossbeams as a walkway. The store where I left my friends was only three stores down and on the left.

All those years of hating gymnastics yet complying with my parent's demand I take stupid gymnastics were finally going to pay off. I felt like a circus acrobat.

After dropping down in front of a sweet old lady I dusted my hands off as I explained, "Maintenance." She didn't even blink. One would think the woman had people dropping down from the ceiling in front of her all the time.

"Well isn't that a pip? Do you suppose I could do maintenance? I'm in-between jobs right now. Would I get to wear a sexy uniform like that and get my belly pierced?" she asked wistfully. She appeared to be in a shrunken state. Old age and bad living could do that to a person. I suspect her shrinkage only to be due to her age.

Confidentially I whispered in her ear, "Don't get the belly ring. It hurts like blue blazes."

"Hey what's your name cutie?"

"Racine," I tossed over my shoulder as I went in search of the rest of my party. Perhaps it was this very instant or maybe it had been niggling at me all day. All that I knew for certain is, I don't want anyone else calling me Angel.

Three fuming ladies sat tapping their feet in an angry rhythm. In unison they jumped to their feet when they saw me. There were no bags sitting anywhere near them. I'd been so keen to ditch them I forgot to leave them any money. It isn't like me to forget a single detail. Is this he sort of thing Ranger feared would happen if I mingled with too many people?

"Oh crap. I'm going into hiding in Morelli's house for the rest of the year. Call me if Ranger leaves town," Stephanie said.

"No can do. I'm requesting an immediate vacation starting right this minute," Connie said.

"Fuck that. You two are not leaving me to face that hotter than a firecracker Ranger. I won't ask where you been. The clothes and belly tell the whole story. How you gonna promise us loads of shit then run off?" Lula knew what she wanted and wasn't too picky how she got it. Underneath all her bluster and self-absorption I know beats a warm kind heart. At least I hope so.

"I hate to put a rush on our trip but let's move on to the shoes. These socks may look like shoes but they are just socks. Soon they'll be rags. The concrete today started wearing a hole in the bottom."

I appreciated that they hadn't mentioned my shoeless state. I imagine Ranger told them how that came about. I must seem totally helpless. How many adults lose their shoes?

It didn't take much convincing to get them moving toward the nearest shoe outlet. While they wallowed in rapture over four inch pumps and sequined heels, I went directly to the boot aisle. I wanted boots like Ranger's. I wanted to be a bounty hunter. I'd already ordered twelve pairs of everything from pants to bras with matching panties. They would be delivered to Ranger's headquarters no later than tomorrow afternoon. All I needed to complete my uniform is a pair of kickass boots according to Amy when I told her why I needed the boots.. Uh oh. Ranger wouldn't be happy with that word.

Amy was so helpful and very talkative. By the time I bought several pairs of boots, atheletic shoes and a few pairs of heels, we were fast friends. She also overlooked the stores no delivery policy. She would bring them in person. The two hundred dollars I gave her sealed the deal. To sweeten the pot I promised another two hundred upon completion of delivery. From the stunned look on her face I might have over tipped her.

Okay, so I overdid the boot thing and the tipping thing. It's hard to pick out boots when all you've ever worn were running shoes. No frills no fuss, the story of my life up to this point. I wanted to do everything, taste everything, live life to the fullest. I have a lot of living to catch up on. Six pair of boots later I felt replete. By this time I didn't care about the money I gave Amy. It was money well spent.

My reappearance went without notice just as my disappearance had. While I'm here I might as well try on some more shoes. Amy said a woman can never have too many shoes or too many purses. I bought some strappy heels with such samll fragile straps I doubted they'd hold up after a couple of wouldn't go with my new wardrobe either. I could fix that by shopping the net. Everything under the sun can be bought and sold on the internet. A person could become a hermit while living like a king if they had the money, which I do. Problem is, I don't want to be a hermit.

How much time lapsed from leaving the boot aisle to rejoining my companions seemed like only minutes, actually it had been several hours. Lula declared she couldn't shop for one more thing unless she got something to eat. Our progress kept getting interrupted by shopping. Every few feet there was something one of us just could not live without. The food court kept drawing us back with the delicioius aromas.

Victoria's Secret alone took over an hour. Who knew there were so many different kinds of underwear? Basic cotton is all I've ever known. I could hardly wait to get back to Ranger's so I could try everything on. Just touching all that sexy silk and lace made me feel sexy, or that's what Lula said a woman felt when wearing this type of underwear. Panties. I tried it on for size. I liked that better than stuffy old cotton underwear. I was going to sex the socks off of some lucky man. Ranger? Someone I've yet to meet? The world at last had possibilities for me.

When we left the mall we were several pounds heavier than when we went in. A very nice young security officer escorted us to our car. I met him while waiting in line for something called a smoothie. During our conversation I forgot to order my smoothie and he asked me out on a date. My very first date. I could hardly contain my excitement when I told everyone my news. Mark stood patiently to the side while I filled them in on my date status. This would be number one.

In all the excitement of the day I'd forgotten to enquire about a cell phone. They are amazing inventions, one I couldn't wait to use. In my experience a phone started in one room and stopped in another. All we had were house phones. Who would we call way out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by nothing but water?

Mark waved us off safe and sound inside Lula's Firebird. We passed several car dealerships. I gazed wistfully at all that shiny new colored metal. A car was number three on my list. I could bump it if the sex thing didn't work out with Mark. After spending a day in Stephanie's company it occurred to me that no man would choose me over her. She had everything a woman should. To top it off she had the experience with men I didn't have. Ranger is now crossed off my list of potential candidates. Maybe.

Instead of taking me directly back to Ranger's we headed back to the bonding office. Connie didn't bat an eye when she turned the key in the lock this morning when we left. It would seem her job was secured by being related in one way or another to nearly every mafia boss in the state. I envied her. How great is that when a woman can command respect through her family relationships alone? I didn't have much of a family tree. What little I had was riddled with rot. Stryker was the only solid branch on the whole darned tree.

When we pulled up in front of the bonding office Ranger's car pulled behind us before Lula pocketed her keys. How did he know to come here? What if they took me directly back to his apartment?

"How did he know to come here? And how did he manage to be here the exact same time we arrived?" He sure looked good. Maybe not that good. He looked dangerous. Ready to pull the wings off an angel. Fluttering in my stomach told me to be wary of Ranger. Common sense shouted that very same thing. The holes in my ears he might have overlooked but the hole in my perfectly fine navel, not so much. Defiance was all well and good when he wasn't around; it was something else when he stood towering beside the car door waiting for me to unlock the door.

"Lula, I don't think I'm quite ready to come back. Maybe we could go get one of those cluck in a bucket things you were telling me about," I said hoping I sounded less frightened than I felt.

"Oh no you don't. You aren't throwing Lula under the Ranger bus. That shit won't fly," she said as her door flew open and she got out of the car. For a large woman she can move pretty darned fast when motivated. Ranger's dark cloud of doom motivated her.

"Unlock the door. Now!" he commanded in a near whisper. Was his quiet tone an indication that maybe he wasn't as mad as his face suggested?

That coward Lula handed him her key. The door nearly came off the hinges he jerked it so hard. If he could tear a car apart barehanded what could he do to me? I can defend myself. I have a feeling Ranger's skills didn't come from any lessons. They came from hand to hand, face to face in struggles between life and death. I also suspected he played dirty.

Despite his anger he didn't yank me out of the car as I expected. He gave me a once over then said, "Hell no. Take it all off. Where's your other clothes, your shoes?" He pulled me out of the car looming over me.

"Damn it Stephanie I sent her with you a normal sweet thing. You bring her back looking like…well looking like this," he said with a sweep of his hand to indicate my new attire.

"Don't yell at her. It wasn't her fault. I did it all on my own. I am perfectly capable of choosing what I wear, how many holes I put in my body and where. And for your information, I didn't have any shoes remember? They got lost in your apartment. I _bought_ more shoes. They'll be arriving with everything else tomorrow. I _wanted_ to wear boots."

As we stood toe to toe, the others stepped back a couple paces, then a couple more. So much for solidarity. The rats were deserting the sinking ship.

"Racine, get in the car…please." If he had continued to yell I would have taken to my heels before I got into a locked car with him. It was the please that undid me. It sounded like a man at the end of his rope. I didn't want Ranger to be at the end of his rope.

"Before I get into a locked moving vehicle with you there is something I should tell you. Maybe two things. One, two men were following me at the mall. I climbed into the ceiling and lost them. Two, I am going on a date tonight. Mark is picking me up in front of the building at eight. I'm going to see a movie and if I'm lucky I'll get kissed and groped when the lights go down," I said the last part as I walked to his car. I couldn't see his face. I didn't want to see his face. Maybe I didn't want to see his face ever again. Liar!

Ranger passed me so he could hold the door open for me. I half expected him to shut the door with me half in and half out of the car. No slamming of the door. No gunning of the motor. Safe driving all the way home. He didn't speak or look at me so I couldn't gage his mood. Thunderclouds, with a chance of monsoon maybe?

The ride in the elevator was just as silent as the ride in the car. I didn't like this Ranger. I searched for a way to get him to speak to me without him wanting to rip any body parts I might need later.

"I want to learn how to drive. I want to buy a car." That got his attention.

"No."

"Why not? I could be more independent," I said in what I thought sounded like a reasonable argument.

"It's hard enough for me to keep tabs on Stephanie without having to worry where you are and what trouble you might be getting into. Are you sure Stryker met you? You sure aren't the sweet malleable young woman he portrayed you to be." Malleable? They think I am malleable. Taking stock of everything thus far in my life I'd have to agree. Those days were over.

"I may have been malleable but I am not stupid. I can take care of myself. I don't need you or anyone else telling me what to do, when to do it and how to do it. I have an excellent mind. My IQ is off the charts. As for experience, well I can take care of part of that tonight. Mark just might get lucky," I bluffed. I don't think I wanted to learn the joys of sex in a movie theater. Kissing sure. Sex? Definitely not.

"The hell you will," Ranger said as he began to stalk me around the room. I backed up colliding with different pieces of furniture. I felt trapped. Some irrational part of me didn't much care. Being stalked and captured by Ranger just might be better than chocolate. That thought didn't stop me from trying to keep out of his reach. I still thought he might throttle me.

The wall stopped me from taking one more step. Ranger smiled I think. His lips tilted at the corners of his mouth didn't they? It looked like predatory smile. One much like a lion might have just before devouring some poor stupid gazelle. He didn't stop until he was right against me. He pressed into me. Oh boy. I began to sweat. I could feel every inch of him. I had to crane my neck to see his face. Maybe I should look down instead of up as up didn't feel all that safe. Down was even less safe I soon found out.

I know the anatomy of men and women. I've even seen them naked, dead, but naked. I am aware of the physical changes in men when in the throes of desire. If the thing poking into my abdomen is any indication Ranger is aroused and then some. Oh boy.

The moment his lips touched mine I was a goner. I lost the ability to think beyond how wonderful he felt, how glorious he tasted. Without any direction from me my hands snaked around his waist. Grabbing a fistful of his t-shirt I held on for dear life. I think I am about to launch into space.

Ranger pushed away from me. His shirt coming out of his jeans as I still had a firm grip on the material. I may even have heard it rip.

Smiling devilishly Ranger asked, "Still thinking about _Mark_?"

"Mark who?" I asked feeling myself still in the grip of Ranger launch.

His grin widened nearly splitting his face in two. I've been told Ranger rarely smiles and even rarer is his laugh. I've seen the smile. Now my goal is to hear him laugh. Preferably with me and not at me.

The further he got away the less hold he had over me. My senses were returning to normal. I think my heart has stopped racing and I'm no longer in need of the paramedics. And I still wanted my date. Not the groping but the date.

"I'm still going out with Mark. I've never been in a movie theater. I haven't even seen a movie. I know what they are I just haven't seen any," I said expecting to hear another tirade.

When I looked in his direction something resembling pity filled his eyes. Well shoot! Pity is not the emotion I hoped to see coming back at me from Ranger.

"I suppose it would be alright if you took Stephanie and Lula with you and you agree to wear the tracking device. Of course I'll be sitting a few rows back. Wouldn't want to intrude on your _date_ with _Mark_," he said with a nasty inflection on the words date and Mark.

I didn't care. I was going on my first date. Who cared if the guy might feel as if he inherited a harem? I was going on a real date. Oh boy!

"I don't have anything clean to wear. Everything I bought is being delivered," I looked at him expectantly as if he could solve all the mysteries of the world before lunch then have time to spare for another round of saving the world.

"You can wear something of Stephanie's. There are still plenty of her things in the closet," he said offhandedly as he glanced through a stack of mail.

"No!" I practically shouted. Okay, I did shout.

"Why not?" he asked looking at me enquiringly, or maybe he was hungry and I appeared to be a ham sandwich.

"They make me itchy." Now where had that lie come from and why had it come out? As if I didn't know.

"Itchy?"

"Yes, as in they give me a rash. Maybe even hives. I could wear one of your shirts," I said knowing darn good and well his shirts were made of the same fabric. The only difference being his had more of that same fabric, lots more.

"There are some clean ones hanging in the closet." He let me off the hook on the whole same material thing.

"No, I don't want a clean one. I want a dirty one. I'm going for the grungy look. Rumpled, but not homeless." Not seeing a single wrinkle in Ranger's t-shirt it could be argued I might need to look for another shirt.

"My housekeeper doesn't let my dirty shirts stay in the hamper more than a few hours. The only dirty one I have is the one I'm wearing," he pulled at the front of the shirt.

"That one will be fine. You need a clean one anyway. When can I have the shirt?" Without replying he ripped it over his head and tossed it to me. Ranger smell engulfed me nearly causing me to go into sensory overload. Is this what it feels like to have a heart attack? Do I need him to call 911? Managing to bring my breathing back to normal isn't easy. I did it with a lot of effort on my part.

The real reason I wanted his shirt is so I can take in the scent of Ranger while I watch my very first movie. Call me crazy but in my mind that's almost like a date with Ranger. Might be as close as I'll ever get to an actual date with him.

It takes so long to wash and dry my hair it would be easier if I got it cut. Ranger didn't own me or my hair. If I wanted to cut it I would. I'd have to go to someone other than Charlie. Charlie refused to let any clipping device near my hair.

Ranger's shirt reached almost to my knees. Gathering it up I twisted it in a knot beneath my breasts. That didn't look right. Twisting and turning in front of the mirror an idea formed. I could wear the shirt as a dress. A very short dress true, but one that looked darn good on me.

Rummaging around I found one of Ranger's belts. Even in the last hole the belt was loose. Riding low on my hips I thought it made a fashion statement. The only thing I have for my feet are the new boots. Now that is a fashion statement I thought as I twirled around in front of the mirror. I look sexy even if I do say so myself, in an odd sort of mismatched way.

I hadn't wasted time drying my hair completely. Now it started drying in wavy lengths. It was very seldom that I let my hair dry naturally. It got out of hand if I didn't use the blow dryer. Most days a single braid down my back suited my needs while keeping it all tidy.

Once again I rummaged around in Ranger's drawers. I found some colorful neck kerchiefs in the bottom drawer. There are so many ways to use this simple item to accessorize. I only need it to hold my hair back. I want nothing between me and my ten ton barrel of popcorn.

Leaning into the mirror I decide maybe I should consult with someone about makeup. If I am going to live in this new world I will have to adapt. Makeup isn't vital to life or anything, it is just something I want to explore.

When Ranger turns and gets a good look at me I self-consciously tug at the hemline. With the belt it is pretty darn short. My birdlike legs that moments ago looked sexy to me now feel like two sticks shoved into my hipbones.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" I asked in frustration as his silence continued beyond the point most considered polite. Now he's verging into the rude zone.

"Racine, anything I said right now would end with me throwing you over my shoulder, locking the bedroom door and…" he stopped speaking causing me to have an urge to stamp my foot.

"And? And what?" I knew it wasn't very bright to push the issue but still I forged ahead.

"The "and" will have to wait for another day. Right now you have a young man waiting downstairs. Best not leave him too long with my employees. All of them remember Stryker. They respect him. Think of it as having twenty brothers grilling your prom date."

"Oh. Well come on, let's hurry. I wouldn't want Mark to come away with body parts missing. I haven't met any of your goons other than Jolly but their pictures I found online are pretty darn scary," I said with a shiver.

"I better not catch you hacking into anything other than my files on my employees. I have some very sensitive stuff in there."

I know just what kind of _stuff_ is there. Too late with his warning about the no hacking thing. Hidden deep in the program I found pictures of Stephanie. The photographer behind the camera obviously loved his subject very much. It can only be Ranger. He took them then hid them away so he can bring them out to cherish in private. It is so very sad. Ranger should have the woman he loves.

Maybe I can do something about that. If I can get this Morelli guy to cast his eyes in my direction that will leave the field clear for Ranger. From what I've seen and what I know it won't take much for Stephanie to fall into Ranger's arms and his bed. The thought of them together in that bed is repugnant all of a sudden. I hadn't minded last night.

It goes without saying I won't be sleeping in Ranger's bed again, not with that mattress. I can feel a rash coming out just thinking of it.

"Deal, no more hacking," I said wondering if mental finger crossing was the same as actually doing it. The internet is a wonderful thing. There are sites where you can actually get tips on how to lie, how to be a better liar as well as the how to get around lying without it being an outright lie. The wonder of modern marvels.

I can tell he doesn't believe a word of it. I am coming to the conclusion Ranger is a living breathing lie detector. He'll be changing all his passwords. That will slow me down but it won't stop me. I'll crack whatever code he can come up with. I can break through any firewall he sets up. I've had enough practice. My parents used to have these programs set up to challenge me. They said it was to keep my mind stimulated. Now I am beginning to think I may have given them a roadmap into some sensitive government secrets. Not only American secrets but other countries as well. For a brilliant person I sure am gullible.

In my own defense there hasn't been a reason for me to feel as if I needed to be ever vigilant or suspect everyone and everything. I took things at face value. Not so much anymore. I am learning to be more observant. With time I'll be just as cynical as the rest of the world.

**A/N: Please review. How am I doing?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Just Another Night at the Movies**

**Ranger's POV**

Security let Racine's date in per my instructions. They kept him safe and secure in the lobby. I'd also left instructions not to intimidate him, not so much he wet himself anyway. I wanted him wary not put into a coma. My men are some pretty scary dudes. The same is said about me. That's the way I like it.

Mark jumped to attention when he saw us coming out of the elevator. He nearly fell to the floor when his eyes locked on Racine. I am having second thoughts about letting her go with him. My own desires aside I have to think of how easy it is to overtake an unsuspecting individual in a dark movie theater. More than one fool lost his life in that way. And yeah, a few of those fools I sent to a permanent nap.

Mark appears to be safe. Racine only got his first name in the excitement of being asked on her first date. Hell if I'd known that's all it took to make her happy I'd have taken her on a date saving a lot of expense as well as time my men and I could be putting to better use.

How I managed to get Racine into the car instead of doing what I really wanted to do has to be one of my most noble accomplishments to date. She's driving me crazy. I find I am longing for the days when all I had to bring me close to insanity was Stephanie and her outrageous escapades. Her screwy family and friends now seem like a picnic compared to the visions dancing around in my head.

I'm not what anyone would consider overly religious but so help me God I've found myself praying for Stryker to get home before I lose all honor by taking his sister to my bed and we won't be sleeping. She'll learn more in an hour under my expert tutelage than from reading all the books in a library. I should have known all that malarkey this afternoon was just my way of keeping me from going all ape shit on Racine. Ranger, know thyself.

While I was helping Racine into the car I put a GPS inside the belt around her waist. I'd stuck another one on Marks roof just as a precaution. I didn't want him taking Racine on any unscheduled road trips. It went without saying I'd be just behind them in one of my own vehicles. Tank and Hal would be circling around checking the side streets for anything suspicious. Some might think this was equal to the governments wasteful spending. I think of it as a necessary to keep someone safe after being placed in my care. Morelli has from time to time put Stephanie in my lecherous hands. Even if he hadn't I'd still be keeping tabs on her. The woman is a walking disaster magnet. Her Spidey senses are out of whack sometimes or maybe it's just that she doesn't pay attention to them.

The theater is crowded with mostly teens. A few older couples braved mixing with the boisterous younger generation. After parking Mark hopped around to the passenger's side so he could let Racine out. If he touched more than her hand there might be blood, lots of blood. I don't like this emotion Racine brings out in me. I've been in love with Stephanie for a while without feeling any jealousy over the fact she is with Morelli. She shares his bed as well as all other aspects of cohabitation. So far, my philosophy has been a wait and see sort of thing. With Racine I feel an urge to push the dial up a notch. Again I shove the manure aside I heaped up today while waiting for Racine's return.

They are joined by Stephanie and Lula. Stephanie has on a t-shirt and jeans. Lula takes fashion statement to a whole other level. She's decked out in fire engine red top and some sort of stretchy pants. In my opinion everyone should leave several seats between them and Lula because if she eats or drinks anything she's likely to explode out of her clothing. Spiked heels at least four inches high are a matching fire engine red. Tonight she's even had her hair colored in a shade of red I've never seen before.

Racine would stand out in a crowd no matter what she wore. Her outfit tonight is a sure fire hit with the males hanging around the doors leading into the theater. One of them must have said something crude because Mark stepped up to him standing chest to chest with a young guy about his own age and size. If not for the moron's friends Mark could handle this.

"Boss?" Tank says into the earpiece inside my ear.

"I'm on it," I say getting out of my car. Before I could get close enough to them Racine stepped up to the moron so she could lay her hand on his shoulder. I don't know what she said but it must have been something along the lines of he'd be castrated in the parking lot if he didn't shove off. The moron's face was set in a grimace. It looked as if sweat poured out of his pores. On second thought maybe she had a Spock Vulcan grip thing going on. I seem to remember skimming over the paragraphs that detailed Racine's daily schedule. Somewhere amidst all the chemistry and computer exercises I saw self defense classes, a lot of them, everything from A to Z.

Racine patted him on the shoulder where her hand rested seconds before. The moron turned to run to a parked car. Getting in he started his car laying rubber on the pavement also leaving his pack of friend morons behind. I sure would like to know what that was about. I haven't resorted to any listening devices without Stephanie's permission while on a job. Tonight this incident has me rethinking the whole morality issue of not invading other people's privacy. Friend's privacy anyway, everyone else is fair game.

It is amusing to watch as Racine loads up on theater food. Poor Mark will need to take out a loan just to pay for her gluttony. He hasn't even bought the tickets yet. After paying for the tickets he stops short at the sight of the array of junk food sitting on the counter in front of Racine with a girl behind the counter with her hand out. I'd feel sorry for the guy if I didn't feel so amused. Racine's innocent exuberance for the simplest things amused me in a different way than Stephanie's screwball life did.

Lula had twice as much as Racine did. Stephanie had a medium popcorn, medium drink and a couple boxes of candy. She must be on one of her diets again. I don't know where she puts all that food for a woman of her size. She isn't petite but she isn't in Lula's category either.

Taking note of the movie they are going to see I purchase a ticket for the same movie. I'm feeling in the mood to share the wealth or I'd sneak in like I normally do. I don't like advertising where I am. I have enemies all over the world. They have access to planes and passports the same as I do.

Tank and Hal will be moving around the perimeter of the building. They'll keep in touch through the high tech communication device inside my ear. Any smaller and I'd have to have surgery to remove it from where it rattled around inside my head. It's a scientific marvel for sure but sometimes I worry about the cancer thing. On a daily basis I have one piece or more of this high tech shit emitting God knows what into my body. As long as it works I'll try not to worry too much until something happens.

Momentarily I feel sympathy for that poor sap sitting amongst three women guaranteed to cry during and after the movie. Might be worth a scene to throw the little horny shit out the nearest exit just so I can be the one to have Racine's head resting snug as a bug against my chest.

Snapping out of that idiocy I turn my attention to the task before me, protect Racine at all costs. Nothing appears out of the ordinary. The hairs on my arm sticking straight up tell another story. Something is out of place or more precisely someone. Zeroing in on the spot where I feel danger is lurking it becomes clear just who needs to be watched.

There are two men just to the left of Stephanie who is sitting on Mark's left then there's Racine and Lula. An empty seat is between Lula and two other men. I count four, there could be more. Giving Tank a heads-up I drill holes in the back of their heads. I'd like it to be a bullet but sometimes I have to be civilized.

They wait to make their move when the big firefight breaks out on screen. Loud noise, everybody focused on the action on the screen, just as I would have done it.

In unison the four men stand up then close in on the unsuspecting prey. Stephanie is tossed over the seat in front of her like a rag doll. That useless piece of flesh Mark flies over the backseat in a coward's attempt to save his own skin. That leaves Racine and Lula between the four men.

I am about to climb six rows of seats filled with people when all hell breaks loose. The action on the screen has returned to normal blast your eardrum level. Other theater patrons are beginning to notice there is something wrong, something they'd rather not take part in.

Suddenly there are shots being fired in every direction. Lula is unloading her clip at anything that moves. For once Stephanie is armed with something more than lip-gloss. She had a stun gun tucked underneath her oversize t-shirt. She must have been practicing because her aim hits one of the men now holding Racine.

Lula is standing in place screaming her head off turning the air blue with her repertoire of curse words. She gets knocked on her ass ending up half in and half out of a seat in the row behind where Racine is now using her elbow to break the nose of the man closest to her. Without even turning she throws her other arm back catching the guy who managed to crawl over his downed cohort, right in his windpipe. Blood is gushing from the one man's nose the other must be turning blue by the look on his face. The lights are now on. Yep! He's turning blue, Racine smashed his windpipe.

All this action took place in a matter of seconds. It feels like a lifetime has passed in the time it has taken me to reach them. What with other people running in fear for their lives it isn't easy to make headway. Standing on the back of a seat I step from one row to another.

By this time the attackers are ready to make a getaway as Tank and Hal run up the aisle having burst through the exit door. I let them limp past me so I can make sure the others are not seriously hurt.

"Go, I'll take care of this," I shout to Tank as he reaches me.

My first order of business is to check out Racine. She's jumping up and down with her fists clenched like a boxer. She's looking around all wild-eyed for something to hit. How can someone who looks like Bambi's sister be so bloodthirsty?

"Is everyone okay? Does anyone need medical attention?" I ask running my hands over Racine checking for any damage. Finding none I help Stephanie to her feet. Behind me I hear Lula breathing like a freight train struggling uphill.

"What I need is a motherfucking hand. What I need is a box of donuts. What I don't need is another Stephanie Plum messing with my tranquility and entertainment. No offence Steph," Lula concludes as I give her a hand.

"None taken. So…My guess is those would be the bad guys. The bogeymen from under the bed," she says brushing off her top then her jeans. In the past I would have stood quietly watching her hands skim over her body. Tonight another woman has my attention and she's completely oblivious.

"Oh wow! I get it Steph, I totally get it. What a rush. I must have gallons of adrenalin pumping through my veins. I've read that this surge of adrenaline is similar to how a person feels when experiencing sexual arousal. Wow! Sex and violence. Who knew? I've experienced the violence now I just need the sex thing to happen," she says then flops down as if she's a deflating balloon. That's the adrenalin dropping like an elevator without breaks.

Tank and Hal rejoin me. I am not happy to hear the men got away. A car met them at the entrance to the theater. By the time they reached their own vehicle the attackers made a clean getaway.

I hand off Stephanie and Lula to Tank and Hal. Lifting Racine with my hand under her armpit I am able to guide her outside with no protests from her. There are still people running around. I'll deal with any repercussions from tonight's fiasco tomorrow. I am counting on Morelli to be grateful for the times I've saved his girlfriend from one scrape or another. If he doesn't know just how untrustworthy I've been with his woman I think he'll be willing to do all he can to keep Racine out of the picture. I'll make sure Mark keeps his cowardly lips locked.

Back at the apartment we travel in silence to the seventh floor where I have my personal residence. Unlocking the door I let Racine enter first. No need to worry anyone will jump out at us. It might be worth the intrusion just to see Racine in action again.

When I listened to Stryker telling me about his phenomenal sister I thought he was building her up to impress me. Even after reading the files I'm not convinced the story is all true. I know there are companies out there working on cloning and other shit like that. There are also some doing research on manipulating genes. This, what Stryker expects me to believe about Racine and possibly himself, is way out in science fiction land.

I know there are still some lunatics out there that believe in Hitler's perfect race theory but this, this is insanity, some would say criminal. Looking at Racine she appears in every way just another beautiful woman. No one would guess she'd been created from some mad scientists concoction. If I ever procreate again it will be the old fashioned way or not at all.

"Are you hungry?" I ask just to have something to say.

"Popcorn. And something chocolate. I didn't get to finish anything tonight. Not my popcorn, candy, drink, movie or my date with Mark. What happened to him anyway? Was he hurt? Did someone check to see if he was okay?"

I didn't have the heart to tell her Mark just might be headed for the airport. If he felt brave enough to stay in Trenton he just might wish he'd skipped while the skipping was good.

"I'm sure he's fine. I think I saw him getting into his car," I said lying through my teeth.

While I popped her a bowl of popcorn she rummaged around for something chocolate. The best I could do on such short notice was some of the cocoa flavored cereal left over from when my last houseguest stayed here. She hugged the bowl of cereal while I carried the bowl of popcorn to the couch with me. Depositing the bowl on my coffee table I went back to the kitchen to get us some drinks. I wanted beer. I hesitated reaching for the second one. The only alternative was water. Knowing her she'd pitch a fit if I tried to get her to drink water.

This is how pathetic I've become, I handed her my remote. A man's remote is something sacred. With it he controlled his little slice of heaven. After channel surfing through half the menu she sighed in disgust settling on the news. I take it she is a discerning viewer. Since I have no clue what she liked to watch I couldn't offer any suggestions. From what I read I can't imagine they let her within fifty feet of a television. Why corrupt a perfectly engineered mind with trash from television?

Her first sip of beer did not go down well. She gagged and sputtered. Holding out the bottle she asked, "What is in this awful stuff? How can you stand to drink this? Are your taste buds dead?" I almost laughed out loud as she looked at the bottle as if she might see a skull and cross bones on the glass warning that the contents are dangerous to one's health.

Around midnight I'd had enough. I was so tired if the couch wasn't so short I'd settle in for the night. Since my feet hang over about two feet that scenario isn't going to happen. I like my bed just fine. Even better if there's another warm body in it.

After stretching out my kinks I asked, "Ready for bed? You can borrow one of my shirts to sleep in tonight. Your things should be here by early afternoon. If not I'll give the store a call."

How she'd convinced the manager to commit to that I can only assume had something to do with a shitload of cash changing hands. If her spending spree got out of hand I might have to step in. I must say I'm not looking forward to that confrontation. Placing yourself between a female and shopping is an insane idea, quite possibly dangerous.

"I'll accept the offer of a t-shirt but I'm sleeping on the couch. I'm allergic to your bed," she said looking everywhere but directly at me. I even think I see a hint of pink flooding her cheeks. Virginal jitters maybe.

"I didn't notice any rash this morning." If I'm honest I'd have missed if she had one. I was a little distracted to say the least.

Rather than argue with her I left her surfing the channels again. I'd give her a couple hours to drift into a sound sleep then carry her to my bed. She's so stubborn she forgot to ask about a pillow or a blanket.

My bedside clock read three in the morning. I haven't heard any movement for at least an hour and a half. She'd turned the tv off shortly after I left her. Now all I had to do was bring her back in here, slip her under the covers and all would be right in Rangerland. She's average height weighing just under a buck and a quarter. I liked it when she snuggled into me but why did she turn to press her nose into my chest? Maybe she's allergic to me and felt a subconscious need to sneeze.

I looked down at the woman now hugging the pillow underneath her head. With very little argument from my moral self I could find myself replacing that pillow. Stryker isn't here. I've outwitted hundreds of men seeking to take my life, what's one more? Her one saving grace is how truly innocent she looks while she sleeps. I'd have to be one hard hearted son-of-a-bitch to mess with her. My only hope of saving me from making one of the biggest mistakes of my life is my own moral code concerning taking a woman's innocence. I'd made that mistake once and I'd made an oath never to do it again.

That's not to say I can't play a little. After all, I deserve something for behaving like a boy scout.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**Rashes of the Psychotic Kind**

**Racine's POV**

Reluctantly I open my eyes. I didn't want to leave my wonderful dream. The details are fuzzy but the aftermath is still keeping my pulse rate way above normal. Coming out of my dream world it slowly dawns on me that Ranger has carried me to his bed while I was sleeping. Why couldn't he have woken me up so I could enjoy the moment?

My face felt as if some creepy crawlies were eating me alive. Immediately I felt itchy. From head to toe I felt bugs crawling. Whether my lie induced some sort of psychosis at the moment I don't care. I want out of this darned bed. Scrambling to untangle myself from the sheet I'd managed to get wrapped around me I finally toss the constricting sheet aside.

Staggering out of the bedroom I see Ranger at the kitchen counter preparing a pot of coffee. He looks as if he just crawled out of bed himself. No shirt, no shoes, a pair of black silk boxers the only thing keeping him from being completely indecent. If they slid down another inch I'd get a bird's eye view of what the heck all the fuss is about.

He must have heard my feet scuffling across the carpet because he turned toward me. Both eyebrows rose just before a smile showed me his perfectly straight white teeth. I felt his eyes on me burning wherever they landed. He made the bugs travel as if on a freeway. I began to scratch my face and arms.

"Angel."

"I told you I was allergic to your bed. I told you I'd sleep on the couch. This is your fault," I said as I pointed an accusing finger at him.

Coming to stand before me he looked at his handy work. I was sure I looked hideous. He took my arm so he could examine it more closely. I squinted my eyes at my arm. I couldn't see a single blemish. Well there must be something on my face. I couldn't feel anything. Just because it didn't look like it was there didn't mean it wasn't there. The itchy rash is just lurking beneath the surface of my skin waiting to pop out at the most embarrassing moment.

I can't have a rash popping out today. I have plans for today. Morelli plans. Red Ferrari plans. I'd worry about the pesky license plan some other day. Thinking on it I might go ahead and take the test for my permit. That way I can drive the car I intend to buy if another person is in the car with me. _Not_ Stephanie Plum. Morelli, that's who my copilot will be.

Ranger ran his finger down my cheek then under my chin then on up my other cheek. No rash. If I had one I don't know if I'd feel it or not over the hot flashes racing everywhere inside me. I felt like fanning myself. Maybe the rash has been chased away by a fever.

"No rash," he says with a smile. He's enjoying this far too much.

"Well there was a rash. I'm sure there was a rash. Definitely there was itching. Lots of itching. Have you ever felt as if thousands of bugs were crawling on your skin?" I asked.

"No, not until you just mentioned it. I'm off to the shower. The coffee should be ready in a minute." He hesitated appearing as if he had more to say. From the grimace he gave me I suspect he had to bite his tongue to keep whatever comment he wanted to say from leaving his mouth.

Some diehard Ranger fan in me hoped he might have been on the verge of asking me to join him in the shower. Didn't the news say we should conserve water? I'm a very conscientious person.

I didn't want coffee. I don't drink coffee. What I want is to snoop. Those floors beneath us are calling out to me to be explored. I'm still wearing Ranger's t-shirt minus the belt. Without the belt the shirt is a respectable length. Cramming my feet into my new boots I take my set of keys out of the bowl. I won't be gone long. I'll be back before he finishes his shower. I lost the tieback for my hair. I swept my fingers over my ears tucking as much behind them as possible.

After only a few minutes I find the hub of Ranger's company. There are several men monitoring several banks of screens. I have no doubt they know very well I am here and where I came from. I saw all the cameras. They weren't there to take pictures for the company album. Glancing around I choose the most approachable one. I remember him from last night. His name is Hal.

After a few minutes I don't think Hal knew his own name much less mine. I pushed aside any guilt over manipulating the poor man. I got what I wanted. That's the main thing. I now have been invited on my second date. I'm pretty sure he's regretting asking me but I'm not letting him off the hook. I ignore the comments from the others as I leave.

They tossed out comments questioning Hal's mental health. A few others suggested he wanted an early retirement, one of a permanent nature. A date with me can't be all that bad can it? Considering how my last one ended they may have a point. Now I felt really bad.

Chewing on my lip I reconsidered going with Hal tonight. I'm sure any excuse will be fine with him. He'll just be glad to be off the hook. And me, I still have Morelli on my dance card. I'll make an effort to see him today.

I am learning fast how easy it is to cross the line from what is right and what is wrong. There are gray areas in-between that blur the line at times. My world is no longer black and white. It is now more imperative than ever I keep the knowledge The Company seeks locked away from them as well as mankind. There are enough weapons of mass destruction as it is. Add germ warfare into the mix and the human race is on the verge of extinction.

I don't want the end of the world to be my fault. I want to be a normal woman with a normal life, whatever that is. I am still figuring it all out. I don't like to think what will happen if Stryker isn't successful in keeping The Company from finding me. I don't want to leave this place just yet. Not now I've met Ranger, the others as well, but mainly Ranger.

Opening the door I quietly shut it behind me. I nearly jump out of my skin when Ranger's voice close to me says, "Out for a stroll?"

Clutching my hands to my chest I nearly loose what little equilibrium remains as my eyes take in Ranger in a black suit. The perfect fit screams tailored all the way. Losing any sense I have left to me after getting a look at Ranger decked out like some…some…well I don't know like what, I see a hand reaching out to grip his tie. It must be mine as I am the only other person here.

To cover up this insanity I try to sound angry as I say, "For crying out loud, would it kill you to make some noise, maybe jiggle the change in your pocket?"

"No can do. I don't have any change," he quips as his hands come to rest over mine still clinging to his tie as if it is the only thing anchoring me down. Maybe it is. I do feel lightheaded. A helium balloon that's how I feel.

My second mistake happened when I looked down below his waist. Big mistake. Were pants meant to hug every muscle so that it drew the eye of every lustful female? I am sure men like Charlie found Ranger irresistible too. I see a clear delineation of what I am certain is an erection. Oh boy!

"Where…" I have to stop speaking to clear my throat and swallow. His sexiness has taken every last drop of moisture from my mouth.

"Angel," he says quietly with a finger under my chin. Slowly he drops his head down so his lips can cover mine. That's it just a light touch, no pressure no tongue and yet I think I am about to incinerate.

Just when I'm regaining command of my senses so I can respond he lifts his head. When he speaks his voice is low and rough. It vibrates through me like some pagan drumbeat.

"I have work to do today. I took this gig a long time ago. This guy hired me as his bodyguard for a couple of days. He only wants me. If I could I'd hand him off to someone else."

I am still tongue tied from that kiss. Maybe silence is the way to go with Ranger because he bends his head down for another kiss. This one is not gentle or sweet. It is curl my toes, set my hair on fire inferno blast desire. I sure as heck know it is on my part. One second I'm being kissed to within an inch of my life, the next I'm feeling alone and abandoned as he steps away from me.

"Go get ready. I'll drop you off at the bail bonds office. I had my housekeeper go out and buy you a pair of jeans. You're a little longer in the legs than Stephanie. Good thing too, seeing as how you're allergic all of a sudden," he said as he tugged at his cuff.

Some day I'd meet this phantom housekeeper he keeps telling me about. There had to be one as someone left a tray of food on the counter that wasn't there when I left. Fresh flowers were in the vase sitting on the table beside me. Stephanie and Lula think Ranger is some hero called Batman. If they think he's Batman who do they think his housekeeper is? The Invisible Woman?

After having Ranger kiss me like he just did I don't think I can be civil toward Stephanie. My hands are curling with the urge to scratch her eyes out. I shouldn't feel like this but I do. I've only known Ranger for a day and a half. What I know about him and what he knows about me should put a wedge a mile wide between us.

Despite every rational objection I can think of I can't help responding to Ranger with one of humanities most basic instincts, copulation. This is crazy. I am too new to the attraction between men and woman to know if that's all this is. If another attractive man comes along will I fall under his spell? Stephanie is attracted to two men. I also believe she loves both men.

If one man gets me this discombobulated what will two men do? Seeing as how this is my first foray into the arena of anything remotely sexual maybe I should stick to one man. Maybe that man should be someone less…well less of everything that makes Ranger, Ranger.

Experimentation is the best way to learn anything. Test, test, test, then test some more. I definitely need someone not so sexually predatory. Everyone knows you have to learn to walk before you can run. I'm still wobbly on my feet. I better stay out of the fast lane.

After showering I let my mind drift. Taking everything that's happened then adding in some variables my conclusion is it might be best if I left Ranger's apartment altogether. I have the means to live anywhere I want.

If I tell Ranger I am sick that will give me the opportunity to find a way out of here. I did see a bank of windows on the fifth floor facing the back of the building. I should be able to find a way to climb down. This type of architecture has places where I can get a foot or hand hold. Piece of cake. I'd go out the front gate but all those tattletales in the war room will tell on me if I try to leave that way without Ranger.

Practicing in the mirror looking ill I only succeed in appearing deranged. If I wouldn't die from embarrassment I'd fake my monthly cycle. Tapping the sides of my temples with my fists I try to beat an idea into me. Then it hit me. The belly ring. Truthfully it still hurts. Not a lot but maybe I can gain some sympathy if I rub around the area until it is red. By the time I am done it is now throbbing. I'd snagged one of my fingers on the darn thing. That thing has to go. Not for a while as I'll hate for Ranger to have the last laugh.

"Ranger, I hurt. Maybe the piercing is infected. I think maybe I should stay home." It's hard to sound ill without going overboard without knowing how much is too much, illness and I being strangers like we are.

Ranger inspects the area of my stomach a little too closely for my peace of mind. Apparently the world hasn't corrupted me so much that my innocent appearance has been replaced by jaded cynicism, not yet anyway. Give me a minute then look again.

"I don't think it's infected. Did you get anything caught in the ring maybe while you were asleep?" he asks after resuming an upright position.

"No." Not while sleeping anyway. He didn't need to know all the finer details.

"If you're sure. I'll have Ella look in on you."

"Ella?" I ask wondering if he had some other woman tucked away in the building I didn't know about.

"My housekeeper," Ranger replied giving me a strange questioning look.

By now he is likely doubting my intelligence. He did mention his housekeeper. Guess she isn't The Invisible Woman. Her name is Ella. I suppose Ella could be The Invisible Woman's name. Why not? If Ranger can be Batman's name why can't Ella be The Invisible Woman's name?

As soon as Ranger left I felt lonely, abandoned. Being alone for the first time is a scary thing. People leave the safety of their parent's all the time. I'm twenty-four darn it not four. I'm above average intellectually. Surely I can manage to live on my own. After all this isn't the middle of the jungle. This is Trenton, New Jersey for goodness sake.

I gave a quick call to Amy to let her know not to deliver anything until I found a new place to live. She offered to take me around looking at apartments. She'd even pick me up. I'd give her a call once I felt I had put enough distance between me and RangeMan headquaters.

Since Ranger could get phone records without breaking a sweat I'd use a payphone somewhere across town. It might take him a while to figure out Amy is the one aiding and abetting. Maybe I should keep my living space a secret for a while. Amy would be like a baby rabbit facing a lion when Ranger got her under his frightening glare. What I would do is let her drive me to get my permit then buy a car.

If I can't trust myself not to cave when it comes to Ranger, it's a sure bet Amy wouldn't think twice about bringing out the white flag. If I need a friend I can always contact her later when Ranger has grilled her then left her scorched body behind.

The window I chose to climb out is located in the bathroom. No cameras in there. Disabling the alarm on the window wasn't easy but I did manage that with only a little frustration.

It's been a while since I did any climbing so I'm rusty. My arms begin to quiver about halfway down. I need to start lifting weights. I'm getting soft. Find a finger hold then move my foot. Find a foot hold move my hand. That part's still working. Reaching a place where I'm only about four feet off the ground I jump down letting my knees bend to cushion the impact.

My phone call to Amy takes only a few seconds. She's up for some fun. Car shopping is one of her favorite things according to her. She knows just where to take me.

Amy beeps her horn when she sees me coming up the street. I am barely in my seat before she takes off like a rocket. Amy's car is a five speed. It goes fast, faster and supersonic. There are times I think I feel my cheeks flapping from the wind coming in the open window. It's scary as hell. I like it.

Amy told me all about the pitfalls of trying to buy a car without a license. What with insurance and those pesky things called driver's licenses, the government made driving a hassle. Her own car she bought from a friend of a friend who knows a friend who has some cars. Both new and old. He could get whatever model or color you wanted. Sometimes it might take a few days, a week at the most. We went to see the friend at the bottom of the friend list. I bought my first car and didn't even have to bother with getting a permit or license.

Chewy, the friend, agreed to give me a driving lesson for free since I bought a $50,000 black Ferrari. His soon to be ex-wife was trying to get the car in the divorce settlement. He'd planned to set fire to until a buyer came along with an offer he couldn't refuse. The other buyer was a day late so….Ranger would understand. He was cool about these things.

I almost backed out of the deal when I heard I was buying a car meant for Ranger. Ranger couldn't find me just because I bought a car meant for him. He may be intuitive but not psychic. Chewy wouldn't have any idea where to find me after our business was concluded.

After several hair-raising hours I can now drive without grinding gears or stalling the car. I can even manage to stay on my side of the road most of the time. Practice makes perfect Amy told me. She's still learning after two years of driving. I suppose that explains our erratic ride over here.

Chewy and Amy advised me that since I am not strictly legal, shoot I am miles from legal, I should try to stay away from known speed traps. They told me the streets to avoid. Amy said if I saw lights flashing behind me, smash my foot to the floor then…well I won't say what she said. The gist of her statement was I should try not to get caught. It works for her.

It takes a lot of cramming to get all my new things into my tiny new car. Maybe I should have gone for something a little roomier. Well, if this car doesn't work out I know where Chewy can be found. I just hope the next time we meet he has given up the nasty habit of chewing tobacco. Even better, swallowing instead of spitting would be nice.

Stopping at the nearest convenience store I ask to borrow a phonebook. I don't know where Morelli lives. I am curious what sort of man he is. I know he's a policeman. I know he is considered handsome. What I don't know is what he is lacking that has Stephanie unable to choose him over Ranger.

Ripping out the page with his phone number and address I leave the store. I wonder if ripping the pages out of a phonebook is against the law. If it is it doesn't seem like one they'd pursue with any real gusto.

Joseph Morelli's house is an unassuming house amidst blocks and blocks of houses that are similar yet each with slight differences that make them home to the people inside.

I reach the sidewalk feeling nervous now that I'm about to ring the doorbell. Barking from the inside reaches me just as a loud banging on the other side of the door nearly shoves the door off its hinges. A dog! The only dogs I am familiar with are vicious animals with three objectives, kill, maim, destroy. I had to learn how to be firm with them or they would have kept me inside the house in a show of power. I showed them, I was the more powerful animal.

The door opened to reveal a tall man with dark hair. His eyes were a warm brown. The dog he had restrained looked more like a small horse with lots of long red hair.

"Well, hello there Sunshine." He stretched out the hello. His voice sounded friendly. He may even be flirting. There is a glint in his eye very similar to one I've seen a couple times in Ranger's eyes.

When the dog lunged out of his grasp about to jump on me I pointed my finger at him commanding in a no nonsense manner, "Sit." The dog sat. His tail stopped wagging, tongue stopped hanging out dripping dog drool, eyes focused straight ahead just the way a well trained dog should respond.

"How the hell did you do that? I've tried everything to get him to mind. So far all I've got for my troubles is dog drool dripping off my chin. Did Stephanie take pity on me and send another dog trainer? If she did I'll hire you on a permanent basis," he says as he scratches behind the dogs ears.

As the dog continues to sit he says, "Hey, I think you've broken Bob. He looks comatose."

"Heel," I command. The dog he called Bob stands up beside Morelli. I guess he is Stephanie's Morelli. This is the address.

"He isn't broken, he's just well trained. He needs firm directives for him to understand what you want. One word commands work best. Are you Joe Morelli? I am a friend of Stephanie's, Racine Crawford," I say not completely lying even if it isn't strictly the truth. If asked I think both Miss Plum and I would agree we will never be bosom buddies. Cordial but cool.

Instead of inviting me in he closes the door behind him then asks me to sit on his front stoop beside him. Is this a custom in American cities? I did see lots of people sitting out in front of their houses and apartments during my ride with Ranger then again today.

He gives me a quick onceover, furrowing his brow trying to place me. Finally he is willing to admit he is stumped so he says, "You didn't go to our high school. I would have remembered you. Your too young to have even been in high school when we were."

"I'm a recent acquaintance. I met her through Ranger. I lived with him until recently," I explain.

"No shit. And you and Stephanie are f_riends_? Somehow I can't see her being even remotely polite to someone living with Ranger. I know I sure have to try very hard not to rip his heart out whenever he and I run into each other. I do try to be civil for Steph's sake. I thought she might be staying with him again. At the moment we are on one of our off times of our on again off again relationship," he concludes.

"I thought Ranger said you were engaged." I am confused by this off and on again dynamic that he says is their relationship.

Scratching at his ear he says sheepishly, "Yeah well, we did try that for a while. It didn't fit. We've even tried living together. That works for awhile. Until she conquers the world I don't think anyone is going to tie Stephanie Plum down. I'm patiently waiting for her to find herself. My hope is that it's me she comes home to for good."

Looking behind me I am sure he sees my car. He smiles when he notices the back crammed with so much for such a little car. Some things are hanging out the window. At least it is nothing too personal or too shocking.

"Yours?" he asks.

"Yes. I just bought it this morning. Chewy, the man who sold it to me also taught me to drive. Amy took me to him as the dealership has to abide by so many rules I couldn't buy a car from any of those places." I am smiling with pride of ownership. This is very first piece of property worth any real value. Stocks and bonds don't count. I can't see them or ride in them at over 100 miles per hour while sitting in the driver's seat.

Several more minutes of chatting and I am completely won over by him. He is so charming. He knows it too. He isn't above using it to his advantage either. I also see that he is a man who thinks women should stay at home to keep the home fires burning. It is an antiquated idea in this day and age. A plan is working its way to completion as we talk.

"Mr. Morelli I'd love to continue this conversation over dinner. I need to find a place to stay first. I can call you after I unload my car. I already have your number. I tore the page out of the phone book. Oh goodness, are you going to arrest me for destruction of property or something?" I worriedly ask.

"Naw, Sunshine, I'm a homicide detective not the phone book police," he says with a grin.

"You're teasing me. Stryker thinks I'm too naïve to be let out on my own. That's why he sent me to Ranger. Ranger is supposed to be protecting me. I've decided I don't want to be protected," I say defiantly daring him to say he agrees with my brother.

"I don't know your brother, I do know Ranger. He takes his responsibilities seriously. If I had a sister who looked like you I'd send her to someone other than Ranger. That's like putting the Easter Bunny in a cage with the big bad wolf," he informs me in a serious tone despite the lopsided smile still turned my way.

"So will you go to dinner with me? I'll pick you up and you can drive my car," I tempt him shamelessly.

"Registered?" he asks.

"What?" I stupidly ask trying to think of something to deter this line of questions.

"I'm guessing no. I know Chewy. Chewy is not what we in law enforcement call totally legitimate," he says as he wraps a comforting arm around me.

"No, the car's legitimate. I'm the one not legitimate. I sort of bypassed getting a permit or driver's license. Are you going to take my car? Am I going to jail? I would very much like to stay out of jail," I say pitifully. If I go to jail that would ruin my whole day.

"I suppose I could let you off the hook this time but the car will have to stay put until you get a license. I'll drive us to dinner. When we get back we can decide what to do after that," he offers me this generously.

"Well…you see…I um…I don't want to leave my car out in the open where anyone might see it." The _anyone_ who might see it is Ranger.

As if reading my mind he asks, "Someone like Ranger?"

The guilt must be written on my face. He relents when I remain silent looking down at my boots for he says kindly, "Come on. I'm starving. I may even have a place for you to stay. A cousin of mine married one of the officers from the precinct. He's taken a six month leave of absence. My cousin is stationed overseas. She's four months pregnant so naturally he wants to be with her. Here's the lucky part, they just bought a condo now they need a house sitter. If I give him a call I'm sure the job is yours. How does that sound?" he asks.

"I say thank you very much. I will accept assuming your friend agrees. Mr. Morelli you are one of the kindest men I have ever met." No need to tell him I've only met a handful.

"Hey, call me Joe. When you call me Mr. Morelli I feel old."

The Italian restaurant he takes me too is very crowded. It has a grand opening banner in front. The owner is standing just inside the door greeting the customer's as they come in. When Joe and I walk in Joe is grabbed around the waist and lifted clean off his feet as the man says, "Joe, my good friend, what you think? Think it going to make me rich man? Come, let me find you and your lovely lady one of our best tables. Nothing is too good for Joe Morelli. Come, come. Sit. Eat. Drink. Enjoy the music," he says to us while wending his way through several tables.

"Now. What do you want to drink? Wine, champagne, a beer perhaps? We have some very nice imported beers. For you, everything on the house, no charge. Uncle Vito take good care of you Joseph. You no worry." A slight nod of his head brings a waiter to our table.

Since I want to try everything but don't want to seem like a glutton I ask Joe to order for me. The waiter pours out the wine, Joe takes a sip then nods his head at the waiter. Joe's glass is filled then mine.

"Salute," Joe says lifting his glass so he can take a long sip.

The aroma is not unpleasant to I take a sip. It is better than the beer Ranger gave me. I take another sip, bigger this time. Warmth coats my inside as the alcohol reaches my stomach. Deciding I like the taste I tilt my glass draining it in a few swallows.

"It's just occurred to me that I should ask how old you are. I feel I may be contributing to the delinquency of a minor," Joe says with a look that says please tell me I'm wrong.

The waiter came by filling my glass once again. This time there's no sipping, I gulp down the wine the same as I do water. Water never made me feel this…what is this I am experiencing? I feel warm from top to bottom now. There is a mellowness overcoming me. The world doesn't seem so glum. A few more long sips make me feel as light as a feather, like I don't have a care in the world.

"You are wrong, wrong, wrong. I am twenty-four. Count them. Twenty-four fingers," my bleary eyes see an awful lot of fingers where there are usually only five on each hand.

"Sunshine, if you had 24 fingers, I'd be sitting several tables over in case you might send out radiation," Joe says with a smile, or is that two smiling sets of lips? Oh my God! He's morphing right in front of my eyes. He has two of everything. Looking at the other diners they appear to be from the same alien race as Joe.

"I think we better get some dinner in you. Might be a good idea to stay away from the wine, at least until after we eat. I have a suspicion you aren't used to drinking," he said removing my glass out of my reach he then offers me a breadstick.

I'm too interested in trying more wine to notice much about the meal. Vito comes by several times asking if we have everything we need. I am tempted to tell him we, I, need more wine. After trying to get me to talk without success Joe relents putting my half-filled glass back within my reach.

"Sip, don't gulp." I drain the glass holding it out to be filled again.

"Sunshine, if I don't cut you off Vito might suspect I am trying to get you drunk so I can have my wicked way with you," Joe said with a lopsided grin.

"Would you?" I lean forward putting my elbows on the table. I knock my water glass over. A waiter comes rushing over mopping up the water with a towel.

After he leaves I repeat my question, "Would you?"

"Would I what?" he says distractedly wiping up some water the waiter missed.

"Would you have your wicked way with me? No one's ever had their way with me wicked or otherwise. I thought maybe Ranger but I think maybe he's out of my league." I scoot my chair around so I am sitting very close to him. The movement causes my head to spin just a little. A hiccup makes its way out of my mouth.

I reach for Joe's glass of wine. My hand is quicker than his even if I do see two glasses sitting there. "Hey, Sunshine, I'm serious. If you're not used to drinking, that glass might put you over your limit. Maybe you've already reached your limit."

Waving away such nonsense with my hand I chugged down the remainder of wine from Joe's glass. Putting the wine glass down, actually I may have slammed it down as the stem broke off leaving me holding the broken top portion.

Another waiter races over to replace the wine glass I broke. He tips the bottle of wine to fill the glass before Joe can finish his protest. We wrestle over the glass. Sneaky Joe leans into me so his breath is blowing along my neck causing goose bumps. Tingles flow along the path of his breath. Wow! If he can do that with only breathing on me what would happen if he kissed me?

"I think it's time we got you settled in for the night." He says softly in my ear. I don't even know the glass is being taken away from me until he leans back giving me a smile then a toast just before he drains the glass.

I don't know how I got out to his car. Maybe I floated. I felt like howling at the moon. I stuck my head out the window enjoying the breeze whipping against my face. The lights of other cars and stores sort of made me dizzy as they flashed by. Even that felt good. I don't know what a carnival ride feels like but I imagine it feels something like this.

"Go faster. Go faster," I urge him.

"You do remember I'm a cop don't you? It is frowned on when a cop gets a speeding ticket." He doesn't sound irritated with me. A slight increase in speed brings out a laugh I can't hold back.

Turning to the side I hang half my body out of the window. The howl that came out wasn't planned even though I thought about howling earlier. I wanted more wine. Wine is great stuff.

Pulling my body back inside the car I say, "Let's go get some more wine. Ranger gave me beer. It was nasty. I like wine. It has a mellowing affect. Don't I seem mellow to you?"

"Sunshine, if you were any mellower you'd be unconscious. When you wake up in the morning you might not like me so much. Pity, I think I like you a lot," Joe said to me while keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

I patted his knee in reassurance, "I'll still like you in the morning. I might even love you. Would it be alright if I loved you Joe? Stephanie won't mind. She's got Ranger, Rangeman, Batman. He's a super hero you know. You know Joe, I think maybe you were right about that last glass of wine. I feel funny."

"Do you feel sick like you're going to throw up?" He anxiously looked over at me.

"I don't know. I've never thrown up before. Jane said it's awful." Now my floating sensation started to feel more like a sinking rock in my stomach.

I have no idea where we are. Joe has pulled into an underground parking garage, much like Ranger's. Coming around to my side of the car he helps me out.

"I'll help you upstairs then get you into bed. I'll sleep on the couch. In the morning I'll take a cab back to my house to get your car. I can pick mine up when I get back." He half carries me to an elevator. If you've ever had a bit too much wine don't get into an elevator. It does horrible things to your stomach.

My world only stops spinning when I feel a mattress beneath me. Joe stands over me looking as if he's trying to decide what to do.

"Sunshine if I thought you could take your own clothes off I wouldn't even think about what I'm about to do. Well, that's a lie. A guy thinks about stuff like every seven minutes or so. With someone like you I think we cut the time in half," using a quiet voice which I am fast coming to appreciate.

Throwing my arms up I say pitifully, "I don't care. Just take them off. I feel awful. If you're my friend why didn't you warn me about the wine?"

A chuckle is followed by, "I did sweetheart, but you thought you knew better. I think I better phone Ranger and let him know you're alright. I'd hate to throw him in jail because he tore half the city apart searching for you. Well honestly, I wouldn't like him to tear the city apart but I wouldn't mind throwing his ass in jail."

Giggling, I never giggle, I say, "You said ass. Stryker gave Ranger strict instructions not to cuss around me. Gee, I said ass. What other words can you teach me?"

Joe abandoned the idea of taking my clothes off. I tried to help but I think I only succeeded in making it more difficult to remove anything.

Whatever Joe can teach me will have to wait for another day because my world went dark and I knew no more until I woke with a pounding hammer inside my head.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Please, if you are reading take the time to leave a review. They are so important to us writers. Sadly I only got one review for chapter 7. I'm trying very hard to make this interesting and not ruin Ranger's character. I want him to change but not so much readers won't recognize him. Give me some insight, some feedback. Please. **

**Chapter Eight**

**Angel in the Wind**

**Ranger's POV**

For the first time in years I feel something like eagerness to be returning to my apartment. I've felt a different kind of eagerness when Stephanie slept in my bed. With her it was pure animal lust with affection and an emotion I call love thrown in. When she was in my apartment it felt more like a home.

I'm not sure what it is I'm feeling for Racine. Sure I want her physically. In the past if I wanted a woman, any woman, nothing would keep me from pursuing her other than she told me categorically she wanted no part of me. I know Stephanie isn't repulsed by me which is why I continue to flirt with her. I have to keep my hand in for those off Joe Morelli times.

I don't have a lot of time to spend searching out available women. Stephanie is convenient. I know she's going to be there when I get the urge. I can scratch my itch knowing she doesn't expect anything from me. We both know what it is we want out of the relationship. Besides, she always returns to Morelli. Morelli's a fool. If I ever put a ring on her finger she'd be tied to me for life. If I ever play that game again I am going to play for keeps.

That brings me back to my current dilemma. I want Racine real bad but marriage? Forever? So far I've been able to keep things under control with a couple minor slips. So okay, those kisses were far from minor infractions. It's a good thing this building is made from flame retardant materials or the whole block might have caught fire.

Opening the door to silence isn't anything new for me. I half hoped I'd hear the television or something to welcome me into the apartment. It felt like it always did. Quiet, alone, sterile. It had no warmth. This sterile lifestyle used to suit me. Now I'm not so sure it does anymore.

"Racine, I'm home." Nothing. Nothing but cold silence. Old familiar dread seeps into my bones.

Searching every room I find no trace of her. The rooms are as immaculate as always. No signs of a struggle. Maybe she felt better and went downstairs to explore. If anything unusual happened the cameras would have picked it up. My men would have called me. Unease isn't something I feel very often. Usually it has to do with Stephanie.

Trying to keep calm I casually ask if anyone has seen Racine. They said she came down this morning but they hadn't seen her since then. Next I ask Ella and her husband. Nothing. Still nothing in my outward appearance shows any sign of how my insides are starting to twist with dread and worry.

What if someone found a way to get around my security? What if they had Raicne this very minute torturing her or worse? She's so innocent, so fragile. She's my responsibility.

As calmly as I can manage I order every man in the control room to search the building. For an instant they look at me as if I have lost my mind. They don't know how close that possibility is. Not once in all the years I've owned this company have I ever left the control room unattended. I suppose they must think we're under threat of nuclear attack. Nothing short of that would have me ordering them to leave their posts.

We all meet back in the lobby. Still no sign of Racine or any struggle. I am seething inside with emotions I can't show in front of my men. A team is only as strong as its strongest member. I know everyone thinks I'm an emotionless son-of-a-bitch. That suits me. I want them to fear me. I want them to think I'm a heartless bastard most of the time. I can be all those things while still maintaining a code of moral ethics, a line I don't cross, at least not very often.

My phone rings distracting me from my decision to say to hell with it and throw something out the damn window. Angrily pushing the on button I shout, "What!"

Silence. "Listen fucker, I don't know how you got my number but lose it or I'll find you and rip you to pieces then leave you for the rats."

"Well now is that any way to greet anyone? Especially someone trying to do you a favor?" the voice says in an irritatingly familiar tone. Morelli.

"Morelli I don't have time to chat. I'm sort of busy at the moment." My voice is amazingly calm. I frown darkly as I see everyone taking a step back. I'm known for being more deadly when I'm quiet.

"Might that something you're so busy with have anything to do with someone about oh, this big and looks good enough to eat?" He's close to finding out just how lethal I can be.

"Morelli." Something must have alerted him my patience had gone from thin to nonexistent.

"Ranger, you may want to lighten up. You're no fun. I have Racine." Surely my ears are deceiving me.

"The hell you say!" I grit through my teeth just this side of blowing a gasket. Still, at least I'm not shouting.

"Sunshine is quite the little charmer isn't she? Charmed me right into taking her to dinner. Why, I've even found her a place to live," he says sounding like he's having fun at my expense. Let me get him within arm's reach then we'll see how much fun he has.

I feel sweat breaking out on my forehead. I don't sweat unless I'm exercising. It's popping out all over yet I feel cold, inside and out. It occurs to me that maybe Joe found a place for Racine in his house, maybe his bedroom. After all he and Stephanie are on the outs. Maybe Joe is after some payback. Even as I think this it makes no sense. Joe doesn't know how I feel about Racine, hell I don't know how I feel about Racine.

I hear Morelli speaking to someone. It sounds as if he's turned his head away from the phone. "Awe Sunshine, you sure are making it hard for me to keep my boy scout status. If you'll wait a second I'll help you take that shirt off. I know how hard it is to take clothing off when your two sheets to the wind. Been there done that."

"What the fuck's going on Morelli? If you touch one hair on her head you're a dead man. I'll cut your insides out while I let you watch me do it," still in a quiet voice. He knows I don't make idle threats.

"Awe and here I thought we'd finally be friends." The man is playing with fire.

"Where is she? Tell me or I swear…" Morelli doesn't let me finish what I was about to say.

"I know, I know. You'll cut my guts out and make me watch. Yada, yada, yada. Sorry Ranger. Sunshine doesn't want to see you right now. Lucky me, I can see her all I want as much as I want. Oops! That can be taken two ways." The man is poking a ticking bomb. The slightest vibration and the whole thing's over with.

"Where is she? I'm responsible for her safety. I can't go in to all the details but she's in danger. I'm supposed to keep her on ice until her brother comes for her," I explain without giving him any details.

"Oh crap! Sorry Ranger, I gotta go. Sunshine is about to trip. She's trying to walk with her jeans around her ankles. That never ends well." The line went dead. I didn't have a GPS on Morelli's phone. I had no way to track him. I seriously doubt Stephanie has any clue where he is.

I send everyone back to work except Tank. I let them know I'll be in the workout room if they need me. All they have to do is look at the monitors to know where I am. I told them so they'd know to shut the damn things down until I told them to fire them back up. I have some anger to burn off. Can't beat the shit out of Morelli but I sure can destroy a punching bag.

Three punching bags later I'm still ready to rip the head off the first person who pisses me off. Hell, if I ordered a cup of coffee and they handed it to me without asking if I wanted sugar or cream I'd take that as a real offence. I'd blow their fucking heads off with my gun. That might make me feel better.

Tank has been holding the bag for me. As big as he is he had a hard time holding ground as I put every emotion I can't let out in any other way, into knocking the crap out of punching bags. It's easy to imagine them being Morelli's face. I'd like to tear him apart like I tore the bags apart with my bare hands.

Two days, two fucking days and not one word. It's like Racine fell off the face of the earth. Going to Morelli's had been a mistake. All I got from him was more shit. He's enjoying this way too much for my peace of mind. All he will tell me is that Racine is fine. Safe and sound. Tailing him is a bust. He loses everyone when he wants to sneak off to visit Racine.

She's not in any hotel or motel within a fifty mile radius of Trenton. There are no new rentals in her name or Morelli's either. Stephanie has no idea where Morelli stashed Racine.

That conversation had not gone as well as I'd have liked. Stephanie had been giving me clear signals that I'd be welcome in her bed. Any other time I would have had her beneath me so fast we'd be breaking the sound barrier. This time I have too much on my mind to give my best efforts. I'd rather hold off than give a poor performance. To say she was disappointed I missed her hints is an understatement. I added insult to injury by asking if she saw Racine with Morelli.

She and Morelli may be on the outs but even I know Stephanie doesn't like anyone else playing in her sandbox. Does she imagine Morelli is celibate during those months when they are in off mode? I'm a man so I know how it is. Even I seek out one of my women when Stephanie isn't available. I have a few select close friends who know the score and don't mind my fleeting visits so long as I leave ample compensation behind. A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

I need to fire all these losers working for me and hire people with tracking skills. Of course my own tracking skills seem to be lacking at the moment. I've driven the streets from one end of Trenton to the other. I've called in all my favors with the street thugs. Nothing. All my men are making enough overtime to buy a small island retreat.

Man, how a man's life can fall into the crapper in such a short time. Stryker trusted me to keep his sister safe and what do I do? I lose her. I didn't exactly lose her, she ran away, from me. The wrenching in my gut feels too much like touchy feely emotions. There may even be a smidgen of hurt in there somewhere. I can't remember the last time someone hurt my feelings. Not in any of my adult years for sure. I don't get hurt feelings, I get pissed off. Not the same thing at all.

Just for the heck of it I swing by Vinnie's. The usual gang is there. No Racine. I give Stephanie a slight nod then ask, "Has anyone seen Racine? It's important I get in touch with her."

From the look Stephanie aims in my direction one might get the impression she is pissed at me. Can't say as I blame her, I'm pissed at me too. This hunt for Waldo shit is wearing on my nerves.

"You just missed her. She sure is taking to driving like she's been doing it all her life. That Joe Morelli must be one fine instructor. I know I wouldn't mind him giving me instructions and I don't mean about driving," Lula says.

"She stopped in looking for work. Says she wants to be a bounty hunter. She's a little green but she's not any less incompetent than some we have working for us. No offence Stephanie," Connie says with an apologetic smile thrown in Stephanie's direction.

"Well I wasn't offended until you singled me out. I'm not all that incompetent. I bring a lot of skips in," she says defensively.

"We're best friends right Stephanie? If I'm going to be honest I'd have to say you're more lucky than good. I've lost count of the number of cars blown up or caught on fire. People are starting to think you're some kind of jinx. Maybe Joe's gramma put a curse on you. Shit, half the time we only get our man because Ranger swoops in and does his Batman thing," Lula says while swinging her arms around endangering those close to her. Stephanie and Connie are keeping their eyes on Lula's very large arms.

Impatient to ask more about Racine I have to listen while maintaining a cool appearance. Racine now has a car. She's staying someplace I can't find. I want to pull my hair out. Better yet I'd like to smash Morelli's face until it resembles ground meat. That might make me feel better. Maybe nothing will make me feel better until Racine is back under my protection.

"Did you hire her? Will she be back?" Hopefully I sound casual and not predatory. They won't tell me anything if I sound like I'm going to devour Racine the first chance I get. I want to demand they not give Racine a job. That won't get me anywhere. They'd dig in their heels calling me a chauvinist pig.

"I told her we'd give her a trial period. Let her go out with Stephanie. Sort of learn the ropes before she tackles anything on her own," Connie is now looking in my direction with a hesitant smile on her face. Maybe she knows I'm about two seconds from blowing my cool.

"That girl's all gung-ho for this bounty hunter shit. Even said Morelli got her a legal gun. Decked her out so she looks like that Demi Moore from that movie where she was this hard ass marine or some shit. You know which movie I'm talking about?" Lula asks no one in particular.

"You mean G.I. Jane?" Connie asks.

"Yeah, that's the one. That Racine looked just like G.I. Jane except she didn't shave her head. Who's crazy enough to shave their head so they look like a bowling ball?" Lula says shaking her head.

"Say, not to change the subject but how come you told us Racine was Angel? That girl might be on the angelic side but from the looks of her today I'd have to say she's ready to kick some crazy deadbeat ass," Lula says causing an unfamiliar burning in my stomach. It feels like I ate something that didn't agree with me. I feel like I need a Rolaid. I know Morelli pops them like candy when he's around Stephanie for very long.

"Did Racine by any chance leave an address or a phone number where she can be reached?" I ask trying not to sound as desperate as I am.

"No, she said she's not for sure how long she'll be in her present residence. She did mention that Joe helped her find the place. Said it was a condo belonging to a cousin of his who had to go out of town for a while. Is that any help?" Connie asks me.

Stephanie is giving me one of those looks like she thinks I'm one of her Tasty Cakes. I know what that looks all about. I've given her a few of my own come near me and I'll eat you up looks.

"Babe." I say just before I make my exit. I've learned all I'm going to learn today. I'm not ready to deal with Stephanie yet. It's been a while since Stephanie and I have had any alone time. I'm not sure how I feel about that. For the moment I'm focused on bringing Racine back where I can keep watch over her.

Half of Trenton is related to Morelli in one way or another. Look closely enough and you might find cousins married to cousins. I have something to work with now. It will take time to go through all of Morelli's relatives to find the one who just left town for an extended stay somewhere.

Patience not being one of my virtues it is very hard the next few days not to snap everyone's head off just for being someone other than the woman I'm looking for. What I'd really like to do is snap that bastard Joe Morelli in half. I've tried nice, I've tried veiled threats, I've even tried out and out promises to strip the hide from him while hanging him from a meat hook. I get nothing but the same old shit. Racine will call when she's ready. She isn't ready. I should say fuck it then get on with the next thing on my list. I can't do that because I owe Stryker. If I'm honest it isn't only my debt to Stryker keeping me up long into the night looking for a woman who doesn't want to be found.

Racine has been gone for two weeks. Except for short appearances at Vinnie's and those outings she goes on with Morelli I might begin to think something happened to her and no one found the body yet.

I've tried to use Stephanie's attraction to me to gain information but she's either becoming immune to me or Morelli's not sharing with her either. I suspect that's the case as she seems miffed when anyone mentions Racine and Morelli in the same sentence. She's an open book, I'm better at hiding my emotions. No one needs to know how many punching bags I've gone through since Racine's been missing. The trash man knows but he is keeping his mouth shut. I know how to find him. Tank knows who signs his paychecks.

I just laid my head on the pillow when my cell phone rings. Since not many people have my private number I immediately think of Stephanie. For a minute my hormones go into overdrive thinking of her coming to my bed. It's been too long with too many frustrating days and nights with no end in sight.

"Babe," I say beginning to feel like a cheating husband without actually being a husband.

There is a moment of silence on the other end before I hear a timid voice say, "Ranger I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called. You're obviously expecting Stephanie. Forget I called. It isn't important. Joe couldn't come because he's taking down some big drug ring or something important like that. I wouldn't have called anybody but I'm just so scared."

I hear a lot of noise in the background. It sounds like a party that has gotten out of hand. I hear a loud thumping that sounds like someone beating against a door. My heart does a little nose dive before it thunders into a zone sure to give me a stroke at the very least.

"Oh no. It's Drake. He must have found where I'm hiding. Amy said he wasn't to be trusted but he seemed so nice when I met him at the mall yesterday. Amy said I shouldn't give my address out to anyone, especially to sleaze balls like Drake Maroni." It's hard to hear her as she is whispering.

"Where are you hiding? Is there anything to use as a weapon? A bat, golf clubs, anything to hold him off until I can get there?" My mind now is going way past frantic. Drake Maroni is new in town. For the last year he's been steadily building his stable of girls, young girls to sell on the open market or to supply his many whore houses.

Someone looking as untouched as Racine does could go for somewhere in the five figure range, six, once they figured out her untouched quality isn't fake.

Drake Maroni is also a gun for hire. He's the go to guy if you want anyone taken out or kept on ice. Countless so called honest businessmen have hired him to snatch someone then hold them until the client can take over the poor soul in Drake's unscrupulous hands.

"I'm in the closet. I sent Amy home. I thought I could handle this. I didn't know they were all crazy people. Once they started eating the brownies everything went downhill from there, at least as far as I'm concerned. I even brought the remaining brownies in the closet with me hoping they'd go home. Now they want the brownies and Drake wants me," she says with a sniffle. God, now she's crying. I don't deal well with women's tears. Shit!

"Stay in the closet and don't eat any of those brownies," I tell her trying not to let her know I'm about to lose my mind. I am for sure going to kill someone or at the very least beat the holy living crap out of somebody. Pity the first few assholes unlucky enough to be caught in my crosshairs. I sure hope I find Maroni still there. I'd love to lay my hands on him.

Getting the address I grab whatever I lay my hands on that feels like clothes. I only take the time to lace my boots up halfway. Grabbing a utility belt from the gun cabinet I make sure my gun is fully loaded as well as grabbing an extra clip. Everything else is in order so I go grab my keys slamming the apartment door behind me.

Just for safety's sake I call Tank for backup. He'll meet me at Racine's. I gave him strict orders to stay the hell out of my way unless it takes me longer than fifteen minutes to clear the house. I give it ten tops. The way I feel now maybe less.

At this time of night I don't worry about speeding. It wouldn't matter if the whole fucking police department lined up behind me, I have no intention of stopping until I reach Racine. Is this what Morelli feels every time Stephanie gets herself into trouble? He knows I'm always looking out for her but what about those times I can't be there for her? Hell, there are even times he can't be there for her. What happens when neither one of us makes it in time? Is that what Morelli thinks about every time she goes after one of her FTAs? I haven't given that aspect too much thought. I just sort of let her do her own thing. She's a grown woman after all. That woman is so stubborn she wouldn't listen to either one of us anyway. The gun that spends more time in her cookie jar is a case in point.

Going over to Tank's SUV I say, "Fifteen minutes. If by then you don't see anyone coming out the elevators or taking a shortcut out the front windows then come give me a hand."

"You got it Ranger." He's always got my back. He is the one person I count on the most in all the world. We've gone through some nasty things together.

Going up to the second floor I take pleasure kicking the door in. Cheap ass doors, one swift kick and they splinter all to hell. For a moment there is silence from everyone. The only racket is coming from the surround sound. "Out, now," I shout over the music. Using my gun I shoot the stereo in the corner.

That shot woke everyone up out of their stupor. A lot of pushing, screaming and cursing ensued just before I grabbed my first victim. Out the window he went after a few swings in my direction. Several men tried to grab my arms. I wasn't having any of that. With a few well chosen kicks with my feet followed by a few jabs with my fists, they saw the error of their ways.

I flipped the couch up after seeing one spineless individual shove his girlfriend in my direction. Bumping into me I saw her frightened eyes staring at me fearing I'd manhandle her like I had the others. I set her aside telling her, "Go home to your parents. Don't let me catch you out this late again around any of these people. You won't like it if I hear you've disobeyed me." Alright, so I sound heavy handed but she's only a kid about fifteen or sixteen. Possibly another recruit of Maroni's. I don't see that piece of shit anywhere.

In just under eight minutes I'd put all the trash out on the curb one way or another. Several windows were broken. The furniture is one step away from furniture heaven as Stephanie would say.

Tank sticks his head in through the opening where the door used to be. Looking around he gave a shake of his head and mumbles, "Better this than another bag. The gym won't sell me anymore." Looking at me he asks, "Need any help?"

"Nope," I say.

"Want me to wait?" he asks.

"Nope," I say again.

"All righty then. I'm going back to bed to catch a couple more hours sleep. See you later Ranger." With another shake of his head he heads back downstairs mumbling again. Best if I don't ask what he's mumbling about. Some things aren't meant to be shared.

I search the closets one by one. The only remaining closet is in the master bedroom. I knock not wanting to scare the crap out of her. She was already scared when she called me. All the crashing of overturned furniture, breaking glass, fists against skin must have sounded like a street fight broke out in her living room.

"Racine, it's Ranger. It's safe to come out." Still nothing. Now I'm getting a taste of scared in my gut. I feel the burning eating away at the lining of my stomach. Did I take too long getting here? Did Drake take her with him? That thought brought more acid to my stomach. I could use a role of Morelli's Rolaids.

"Racine, I'm going to pick the lock. Don't be afraid. You're safe. I won't touch you. I'm only going to open the door so I can make sure your okay. Do you understand?"

Still nothing. Surprisingly my hands are steady as I work the tools to unlock the doorknob. Hearing the click I stand up hesitating briefly before opening the door. My heart is on its way up into my throat as I open the door. Just before I swing it open to reveal what is inside I shut my eyes taking a few seconds to say a prayer. I don't deserve to have it answered but Racine surely does.

My knees nearly buckle at the sight before my eyes. If I were a lesser man I might faint at the sight that greats me when the door is opened wide. I can't take it. I close my eyes hating this, hating everything at this moment. Most of all I hate how I feel.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Not a lot of reviews for last chapter. I am grateful for my followers. Knowing others are enjoying what I write is a small validation of what I create. Thank you all who read my stories. **

**Chapter Nine**

**New Hunter in Town**

**Racine****'s POV**

With my eyes clenched I can't see anything. My hands over my ears muffle most of the sound. I clamped them over my ears when I heard what sounded like the front door being broken off its hinges. Even with my hands over my ears I still hear glass breaking. The thud of what feels like a hundred pairs of feet vibrate the walls and floor of the closet.

I fear more crazies have invaded my home. I hate to think what Joe will say when he sees the mess. He put himself out on a limb for me. He assured his cousin I would be no trouble, I am trustworthy. I've let him down on both counts. I only wanted to get a little crazy, not invite the whole asylum home for a party.

I hear the door opening. Someone is standing over me I can hear labored breathing. I don't want to think what all that heavy breathing is about. When the silence drags on I open one eye. I see a well muscled leg encased in black jeans. I only know one man who fills out a pair of jeans like that, maybe two, Joe is on the muscular side too but Ranger is in a category all his own.

Opening both eyes I let them travel over long legs up to hips encased snugly with black jeans. A utility belt wraps a trim waist. Next comes a black t-shirt covering a chest I wouldn't mind feeling pressed against my check.

When I see Ranger's familiar face I can't stand it anymore. I leap up launching my body against his. Wrapping my arms around his waist as tight as I can I say tearfully, "Ranger." For a few heart stopping seconds that's all I can manage. The next few seconds are fraught with worry as he continues to stand stiff as a light post without saying a word.

When he finally makes a response it is to scoop me up tightly against his chest. With his arms wrapped around me so tightly it is hard to breath. It is worth the deprivation to feel the safety of his presence again. I won't let all those other emotions come out of the compartment in my mind I keep them stored until I am able to decide how to deal with them.

"Can I move back in with you Ranger? The outside world is filled with crazy people. I don't want to hide away forever, just for a few days. I didn't think I'd need my gun at a party so I put it in a shoebox under my bed." What I'd really like is to lock the two of us inside his apartment until I figure out what this emotion is I feel for him. It is stronger than mere liking. Sure it is sexual but what else is there to it? It can't be anything permanent on Ranger's side as he has no wish to remarry, maybe not even commit for a long term relationship.

"What about your allergies?" I feel his chest vibrating with laughter he is holding in. Just thinking of being in the apartment that Stephanie shared with Ranger is enough to start the bugs crawling.

"You could replace everything," I offer helpfully.

"Not gonna happen." He is still holding me against him with my feet dangling a good foot or more off the floor. My face starts to catch fire as I feel the hard swell of his desire against the point my own desire is coming alive. Lucky for me women do not outwardly show such things as desire in the same blatant way men do. At least I know he isn't immune to me.

"Ready?" For a moment my brain takes a different meaning to his innocent question. I could tell him I've been ready since the first night I spent in his bed but it is possible I'd scare the man off as he is honor bound to keep his hands to himself and all other body parts. He's already broken the no hands no lips part of his code, now if I can just learn how to get him to forgo all that foolishness about keeping me untouched until Stryker comes home, then we're in business.

Before we leave he calls Tank. "Send a cleaning crew," he pauses then continues, "No, not that cleaning crew, I need an actual cleaning crew sent over. Maybe send one of the guys with some carpentry skills. Yes, I know I sent you home less than a half hour ago, now I want you to come back."

The ride down in the elevator is silent, not strained but comfortable, each of us lost in our own thoughts. He might head for the hills if he could read what my mind chose to pick as a topic for elevator travel. Could anyone even do such a thing in a elevator? Might be interesting to find out at a later date.

Now that we are on the floor where the garage is located a new dilemma arises. I not only have my new red Ferrari but parked next to it was its fraternal twin in black.

I may be getting ahead of myself but I could picture me rocketing around the city wearing Rangeman black with a Rangeman ID in my Wallet. Thus I bought the black Ferrari rationalizing I'd need it when I went to work for Ranger or Vinnie if Ranger planted his foot down firmly on the no side of the question whether I went to work for him or not. Vinnie being a creepy man I would much rather work for Ranger.

Ranger doesn't do much bounty hunting these days. When he did it was high profile high bail cases which meant on the scale of one to ten, those cases were a nine and a half to a ten on the risk scale. Stryker would skin Ranger just before he tossed me in some out the way nunnery if Ranger even thought about letting me chase criminals. On second thought, maybe he'd be proud of me as I'd be walking in his foot steps.

With his hands on his hips he asks, "Yours?" pointing to the black Ferrari.

"Yes. I don't suppose you'd let me drive one of them home," I ask wistfully. A nice fast run across the empty streets is very inviting.

"Nope." Guess that said it all. Why waste words when the outcome was a foregone conclusion to any argument we might have? Ranger is a force to be reckoned with at any time. So far I don't think I've learned enough to challenge him. Even my leaving his apartment was done in a cowardly way. I snuck out while he was gone.

Ranger hit the remote to open the gate that kept out intruders from his building. It clanged open then clanged back closed behind us. I didn't want to equate that clanging of the metal gate with cell bars on a prison cell. I'm not a prisoner. Come to think of it some prisons don't have bars; they have secrets and lies to hold their captives inside. I know that type of prison very well. Being with Ranger doesn't feel like being held prisoner. If anything, I'm the one wanting to close and lock all the doors behind us shutting out the outside world, temporarily at any rate.

Inside the apartment Ranger heads into the kitchen to grab a beer. Knowing my distaste for the brew he sipped his as he leaned against the counter with his legs crossed staring a hole through the back of my head. I didn't have to see him to know his eyes are picking me apart. I wanted to sit but knowing my allergies would give me grief if I sat on the couch or chair I plopped down on the floor grabbing the television remote on my way down.

I closed my mind to any contemplation what Ranger might or might not have done with Stephanie on the rug. If I continued on this path soon I'd be out on the ledge just to keep those pesky bugs from giving me the creepy crawlies.

"Angel." I could hear the smile in his voice even though I couldn't see it. I amused him. Amusement didn't fit any of the scenarios I played through my mind during my time away from Ranger's devastating influence. Miles apart with no visual contact and he still managed to fill my nights with what I learned is lust, plan old good human lust. As Amy would say, I have the hots for Ranger.

I didn't hear him cross the room. I sure felt his presence beside me as he dropped down next to me. My flesh caught fire where his body touched mine. I wanted to look to see if I had any effect on him but dreaded seeing nothing or worse, pity.

"Why the floor?" he asked between sips of beer.

"I'm allergic, remember?" I'm impressed I managed to string three words together that made sense. It's hard to sound normal when your heart is racing while every other part of your body is on Ranger alert.

I nearly stopped breathing altogether when he picked up my hand. He held it looking at the difference between them. He stroked his thumb over the back of my hand then across my palm. If he doesn't stop he may need to call the paramedics. For him it's merely holding my hand in the palm of his. To me it is a connection that is short-circuiting my brain processes.

"So, I don't suppose you'll be sharing my bed." Not a question but a statement. It's hard to tell if he cares one way or the other.

"I suppose not. The allergies you know." We both know I'm lying through my teeth. He may not know my reason for this childish subterfuge. It is to be hoped he thinks I'm being contrary.

Clicking off the television Ranger asks me to tell him everything that happened during my time away. In particular he wanted to know about Drake. I told him everything I knew which wasn't much. Even that was too much in my opinion Rangers too as I do believe I heard him grinding his teeth. I for sure saw the clenching of his jaw. I wanted to move away from him but was afraid movement on my part would cause him to pounce on me. Under different circumstances I'd encourage the pouncing.

Around midnight Ranger heads off to bed after getting me a pillow and blankets from a chest at the foot of his bed. I assume they've never been used. His one and only guest up to this point has been me other than Stephanie and it is no mystery where she slept. That leaves this pillow and blanket Stephanie free. No allergic reactions to worry about.

A loud thud wakes me from a deep sleep. It's Ranger ripping the door open so he can thrust the mattress out into the hall. Slamming the door on the discarded mattress and bedding he comes over so he can grab my bedding tucking it into the crook of one arm while grabbing my wrist so he can pull me to my feet.

From the look of him I'd guess he's been tossing and turning in bed more than sleeping. Still without speaking he arranges my blankets over the now bared box springs. Tossing my pillow on his side of the makeshift bed he crawls under the covers leaving me speechless.

"I can protect you better if you're with me during the night. The bed's gone. No more allergies." His reasoning sounds pretty lame as this place is a fortress. Only Fort Knox had better security. As for the allergy situation I dare not mention the mattress is made of some of the same material as the mattress. The mood he's in now I might be the next thing tossed out of the apartment. I might not go out the door, but out the window.

Now, if anyone has ever slept on box springs they know what I'm talking about when I say the whole spring thing works better with a mattress on top. I got poked and prodded until I found a comfortable spot. If that spot just happened to be on top of Ranger well, I can be forgiven as I wasn't conscious when I threw my arm across his stomach, rested my head just where his heart beat a comforting rhythm all night, nor was I awake when my leg found a comfortable niche between his two very well muscled legs.

I woke gradually to the stroking of a firm hand up and down my back. With each downward movement the hand came closer to my butt. My dream world felt all too real. I came fully awake when I felt as well as heard Ranger say, "I don't mind this early morning snuggling. I have willpower but even I have limits. Either you move now or I kick this foreplay up a notch into my perfected repertoire of moves guaranteed to leave us both physically wrecked but not giving a damn."

Heart hammering, face burning, I scramble off him apologizing the whole time. Ranger gives me a Ranger smile, one with a little glimpse of teeth. Not a crease your cheek smile like Morelli's but sexy as all get out even if it is watered down by amusement at my expense.

"I'm going to shower. I'll need one of your shirts and some…some…"

"Underwear?" he offers helpfully. I can see more teeth now and a hint of a crease at the side of his mouth.

Crawling to the edge of the bed I'm about to stand up when I'm hauled back onto the bed with Ranger's upper body pressed into mine. Alright, I admit it, I'm thinking it's going to happen, Christmas, the Fourth of July, Easter and all those holidays that passed by without recognition are about to be celebrated in one fell swoop when Ranger makes love to me. If he had a bow on his chest this would be perfect. All my missed birthdays compensated by one glorious encounter with a man I may have dreamed up but if so I hope I never wake up.

My holiday funfest is short-lived as he says, "The state I'm in, if I have to lie here imagining you naked in the shower, something very embarrassing is going to happen. It won't bother me too much but it sure as hell will shock the shit out of you."

As my brain processes his meaning my discomfort increases a thousand fold. I've been so complacent throughout my adult life thus far I haven't even discovered the wonders of masturbation or for the more delicate connoisseur, self pleasuring. The word sounds naughty inside my head, how wicked would it be to say it out loud? Even more wicked to skip the word moving onto the action.

"Angel." I am left to interpret what he is trying to say. Ranger is a man who can say so much without saying anything at all. One word from him is a whole conversation from another man.

I'd sound rather foreword if I told him what I'd rather do instead of the two of us taking lonely showers. The man was as tempting as chocolate fudge cake. I've developed a passion for chocolate so I know what I'm talking about.

"Oh." Did I speak? I'm so frazzled by Ranger's nearness as well as his forthright admission.

"Yeah, oh." For a couple seconds he just looks at me then mutters, "I'm going to suffer for this but what the hell." He then starts kissing me in a manner guaranteed to bring my blood pressure into the danger zone.

The thinking part of my brain is shutting down as my senses go all haywire as Ranger's lips brand mine in a kiss so lustful it surely is a sin. Call me a sinner for I am willing to surrender all just so Ranger will continue what he has started.

Following his led my tongue touches his shocking me to my very core. My body wants more than just his lips. I want to be joined in a pagan dance so primal we shed all civilized restraints, letting us feel every raw pulse beat traveling through our bodies.

Boldly I skim my hands over his body reveling in the smooth hard flesh. I may be imagining things but I feel him tremble beneath my untutored touch. Maybe I'm the one trembling with virginal inexperience. Just when I near the part of him I am most curious about, he grabs my wrists then rolls off our makeshift bed.

"I'm taking my shower. If you're smart you won't be in here when I get out." With that not so veiled threat he is gone. Feeling cheated I wallow around trying to get a grip on my emotions. One of these days I'll know how to keep him in bed long enough to go the distance. Until then I won't mind the practice. It may not be wise to test Ranger's control over his sexual urges but I'm in too deep now to heed the warning bells clanging away inside my head.

Hunger pangs save me from testing just how much restraint Ranger does have. I replace satisfying my lust with satisfying my hunger. Ella has left a tray filled with a variety of foods. All healthy as well as tasty.

Ranger comes out of the bedroom dressed in his usual attire, all black and sinfully primal male. Rationally I can see how Stephanie is attracted to both Joe and Ranger. I can even see her loving both men if for different reasons. I can see it and understand it I just can't make myself like it.

He pours a cup of coffee keeping me glued to my chair with his stare alone. Gulping down my orange juice I make a hasty retreat. I am not sure but I think he mumbled something like "Coward" as I scurried into the bedroom.

I swear Ranger and Ella are some otherworldly beings. How they managed to get my clothes cleaned so quickly must be by some magical spell. I didn't feel Ranger leave the bed or hear the front door open or close during the night. Ranger is trained to be a spook. How does Ella accomplish her own supernatural feats?

Feeling refreshed I tackle the task of restraining my hair into some kind of neat and professional style. The only way of confining it is to braid it then wind it around my head in a spiral. Tilting my head this way and that it looks sort of attractive. My hair is restrained so my facial features are more prominent. I give a wistful sigh as all my new makeup is still in the condo among the ruin. Maybe not as Ranger did ask Tank to send over a cleaning crew. My things will show up sometime today.

Since I only have one choice of what I will wear it takes me only a couple of minutes to dress. Looking at the gun safe where I know Ranger keeps all his weapons and ammo I am torn whether I should crack the combination or leave well enough alone. In the end I decide not to tempt fate by willfully trespassing on Ranger's private armory.

I know how Joe feels when he imagines Stephanie with Ranger. I have the same green eyed monster inside me wanting to scratch her eyes out. I have no claim on Ranger. Aside from being attracted to me I have no evidence anything more is between us, how can there be, we hardly know each other.

I want to be a bounty hunter. From what Joe told me Stephanie is the world's least qualified bounty hunter. She has the occasional lucky break but often relies on Ranger or Joe to help catch her man or woman whatever the case may be. It is sheer idiocy to hunt down criminals without being willing to defend yourself if the need arises. In her case the need often arises according to Joe.

Half the time if she carries the gun it has no bullets. I thought Joe would injure himself laughing about all the cars Stephanie has gone through due to fires, explosions, theft and other assorted mishaps. I think his amusement is more because most of those vehicles belonged to Ranger.

It is my belief that Joe wouldn't object quite so strenuously to Stephanie having such a dangerous job if she prepared herself appropriately. She needs to log some time in at a firing range. Joe volunteered to take me when I told him my plan to become a bounty hunter. It isn't the money I want, it is the excitement. It also helps that through that occupation I'll get to spend time with Ranger. Where Stephanie is Ranger isn't far behind. Joe is of two minds about that situation. He wants his lady love protected; he just doesn't want her protector to be Ranger.

Ranger inspects me from head to foot. I wonder if I've forgotten to put something on that I need to have for modesty's sake. As my face begins to flush with unease under his dark smoky-eyed stare, I resist the juvenile urge to fidget from foot to foot. Who knew I am the type to fidget? I certainly didn't.

"I want to be a bounty hunter." There, I'd said it out loud. It might have helped to build up to my declaration but by the scowl beginning to scrunch his attractive face perhaps nothing will convince him of my capabilities. I have skills. I can conquer anything I set my mind to conquer.

"No." Plain, simple, direct. It's what I expected but I held a small hope he would see reason. I resist the urge to whine like the child he thinks I am.

"I'll make a deal with you. Joe said he'd take me to a firing range. We already went a few times. So far I'm not as accurate as I'd like to be. If after a lesson I don't hit the target with every single bullet then I won't say another word about being a bounty hunter." I don't think I am being over confident. I didn't say where on the target I'd hit, I just said that I'd hit it every time. I left myself an out in case my skills don't extend to firing weapons under Ranger's watchful eye.

Ranger sure is a suspicious person. He eyes me looking as if he's willing me to confess to some crime I have yet to commit. Wonder if he knows about me driving without a license. Joe took care of that for me. I am now legal to race around the streets of Trenton and anywhere else I care to go.

"Alright." Did he notice my little jump for joy? My feet were on their way up just as my brain recalled them, ordering them to stay firmly planted on the floor. I think I looked like a person on the verge of a seizure or someone with a nervous twitch.

Stretching my hand out to seal the deal Ranger looks from my hand to my face. His lips take on a seductive twist as his eyes turn into melted chocolate. It isn't fair what that man can do to a woman without saying a single word.

Taking my hand he pulls me to him saying, "I can do better than a handshake." I barely have time to take a deep breath before my lips are under siege. That dratted green eyed monster is ruining this by insisting on wondering if Ranger kissed Stephanie as often as he's kissed me. If so, I have to wonder why the woman isn't still occupying his bed being ravaged on a daily basis. I have a feeling once Ranger has a woman some part of her will belong to him forever. He's the type of man to leave an indelible imprint on a woman.

My lips feel abandoned as Ranger sets me away from him. My eyes remain closed because every part of me is throbbing with desires awakened by a man not willing to satisfy them, not yet anyway, maybe he never will be. Curse his code of honor. I won't curse Stryker as I am still in fear for his life. We have had no word from him.

Opening my eyes I see that I am alone. Was I so out of it that Ranger left the apartment without me even hearing him open and close the door?

He comes out of the bedroom carrying a case and a gun belt complete with a very large gun. Opening the door he commands, "Come." So I trail along behind him to the elevator. On the ground floor I have to practically run just to keep up with his long legged stride. Will this set the tone for the next few hours? It feels as if he is distancing himself from me.

First he teaches me how to take the gun apart naming each part while explaining its function. I take the gun apart then put it back together again several times until he is satisfied I know what I'm doing.

Ranger slaps some ear muffs on my head then hands me the gun. A box of bullets is sitting on the metal counter. Reaching in I begin to load the clip. With a satisfying snap I ram the magazine into place. Pulling back on the slide now the gun is ready to fire.

"And?" he questions me.

Giving him a look that I hope conveys that I think he is a very impatient man I pointedly hold the gun down then click the safety on. I know to put the safety on when the gun isn't in use. He's just trying to unsettle me.

Ranger fires off a clip then pushes the button that brings his target toward us. I can't be certain but I think he shot every bullet in the same mass right where the heart would be. Maybe he missed some. With only a three inch hole it's hard to say. Now he's outright bragging with only a slight movement of his mouth. That for Ranger is a smile.

In a real life shootout I won't have time to calculate distance, angles, weight or trajectory. At the moment I can take all the time I need to figure out exactly how to aim the gun. Raising the gun I grip it with both hands as Ranger instructed. I empty the clip feeling a rush of power that follows such a violent action.

Ranger brings the target in. My shots aren't clustered into a tight mass like his were but they are all in the area of the heart. I wait in vain for some praise. That's disappointing.

For the second round Ranger comes in close to me at my back. With a gentle push he angles my body so I am standing sideways. Taking my wrist he lifts my arm so it is extended straight out at the shoulder.

"If you're searching a building or room of a house, keep both hands on the gun. Keep it level with your shoulders. If you're exchanging gunfire from a distance stand sideways like this so you give them less target to hit. They won't be taking aim and neither will you. Shots will be fired in rapid succession. I've found most skips can't hit the side of a barn but there is always that one who actually took target practice. His guns aren't for show." For a moment he is deep in thought. I wonder how many of those he faced down who had the same training he did. Several tours overseas as a member of a Special Forces team would have placed him in harm's way every day of his tour. That had to affect a man, change him. I know from what Stryker told me Ranger has a lot of secrets hidden away. Stryker has them too. Both men were walking wounded, they wouldn't admit it because they aren't ready to talk about secrets they are forced to carry around with them.

This time I do better with clustering my shots. With a few more hours practice I'll be as good as Ranger. Watching his deadly aim maybe I'm good but he's deadly accurate without having to look down the barrel of the gun the way I do.

Ranger explains about carrying concealed as well as carrying a gun period. Everything in his arsenal can wreak havoc on humanity as well as property. Some is legal most is not. The not part is kept hidden behind a fake cinder block wall.

I get a thrill when he tells me no one outside his company knows about the hidden room, not even Stephanie. I am indeed privileged.

Until I get a license all he will let me carry is pepper spray, handcuffs, a gigantic flashlight and a thin black stick that extends out when you sharply crack your wrist. This gem is for knocking the stuffing out of someone without doing permanent damage. He isn't saying whether any of this is legal for me to carry so I will play dumb. I'll take the fifth at my trial should it come to that.

"Now, I'll test your ability to defend yourself. Don't worry, I'll take it easy on you." The egotistical so and so assumes I am incompetent. Didn't I prove how capable I am when we were attacked in the theater? Maybe he imagines that was a fluke, dumb luck like he says Stephanie has. He may take it easy on me but I intend to get him sweaty begging for mercy before I'm done with him.

It's hard to keep the glee from showing on my face as he shows me a few basic moves. Should I tell him I've trained with a few masters in the art of self-defense? Not on your life. I'll enjoy destroying the Little Miss Innocent image he has of me. When Stryker gets home he might be in for a rude awakening too.

After five minutes it is clear what started as a simple demonstration turned into a battle for supremacy. Ranger will win but his triumph won't come easy. He's breathing heavily, sweat stains cover his chest, armpits and back.

During one of our pauses to circle one another looking for an opening, the dirty cheat whips his shirt off scrambling my thoughts leaving me with my mouth open, face flushed, pulse racing out of control, while a predatory smile spreads across his sensuous lips. Closing my mouth I resist checking with my hand to see if I have any drool running out the side of my mouth. If there is with luck he might think its sweat. That look in his eyes gives me no hope he missed how unsettled his near naked body made me. It just isn't fair. The man is a lethal weapon all on his own. If I checked the data base at the FBI I wonder if he's registered as a deadly weapon, not just his hands and feet but his whole body right down to that smolder he seems to have perfected.

From the moment Ranger took his shirt off the battle went downhill on my side. I all but waved a white flag in surrender. I couldn't gain ground no matter what maneuver I tried. All that bare slick flesh took away too much of my concentration. I didn't want to hurl him around anymore. I wanted to throw him on the mat, climb on top of him then have my wicked way with him. He'd need to tutor me in that too. That class I won't mind at all, in fact I'd volunteer if it would move things along.

One quick move of Ranger's hand sent me down onto my back. He straddled me using his hands to hold mine on either side of my head. We are both breathing heavily. Sweat drips off his chest to mine. Something that should be disgusting is erotic as Ranger stretches his legs out between mine.

My erotic daydream is cut short by several throats clearing as Ranger's men shuffle their feet in embarrassment. They must have seen us on the monitors. They came down to enjoy the show. Little did they know it would almost turn into an X rated performance.

Cool as a cucumber, Ranger lifts his body off mine, bringing his knees up with a quick movement to his chest. The next thing I know, he's standing above me looking down at me with a face devoid of expression. I can't read any emotion in his eyes. There isn't even one of his almost smiles.

I don't know what that look is about but I do know I'd like to find out some day when we don't have an audience.

"Sorry boss. Uh, we uh, we…Crap! We didn't mean to barge in during your workout. We didn't see a thing, not that there was anything to see. If there was, we didn't see it. Right guys?" Hal seeks support from his coworkers.

A chorus of denials came out sounding like a round of a song. The final man spoke then all was silent except for the pounding of my heart, only I can hear that.

"Get back to work." Ranger doesn't raise his voice or send them a death threat with his eyes. They hustled out doing double time. I am certain some of them were on the brink of saluting him.

Only after the last man left did Ranger turn around so he could offer me his hand. A normal woman may not be intimidated by a man's obvious arousal, me, I am intrigued but also feel my face flush with embarrassment. I shiver from the knowledge how close I am to this danger to my virginity. It's all well and good to want intimacy, it's even okay to seek it out, it sure is different when you're faced with a man not restrained by rules others live by. The only constraints on Ranger are those he places on himself.

I must have kept him waiting too long for he pulled me up by placing his hands in the pits of my arms. All too soon we are face to face with not so much as airspace between us. There is danger lurking in the depths of those brown eyes. A dark cloud of desire still swirls within letting me know how thin his control really is.

"You owe me. I always collect. Ask Ste…ask anyone."

Well shoot. He had me until he mentioned, or almost mentioned Stephanie just before he caught himself. I won't be asking her anything anytime soon. In fact if I don't see her ever again I won't shed a tear.

Darn it, that's not true either. I have to see her so I can go with her on her skip traces. I'm an intelligent woman. I'll find a way to work with her without one night hitting her with a stray bullet. I hope that's an exaggeration, I'm not one hundred percent sure.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

**Double Trouble**

**Ranger's POV**

It's a good thing this car knows its way to Vinnie's bond office because my mind isn't on driving. Hell, I'm not even thinking about tempting Stephanie into bed with me. I should be dogging her tail. She's not hard to convince coming to my bed will be beneficial to both of us. She loves me, I love her. I've even made the grand gesture of telling her so out loud. I also quantified my confession by telling her I have no intentions of getting married.

We usually play this game where I make blatant passes, she flirts then backs off. Guess Morelli is who keeps her from being a permanent fixture in my apartment. They play their own game. They want marriage then they don't. They can't live without one another then they can't stand one another.

If they could look at their relationship from where I stand there would be less controversy between them. I can see what needs fixing. I'm not Dr. Phil. I don't think either of them knows the meaning of the word compromise. People think I'm a hard ass with a tendency to be headstrong. I am both those things and more. The difference is I know when to bend a little. I'm rigid when it comes to my business and the safety of my men. I can see other people's points of view and act accordingly. I'm good at adapting to my surroundings.

Stephanie and Morelli better work out what ails them before they lose something few people get the chance to experience, someone willing to put up with your worst moments just so they can share the good times. Everybody has shit, you gotta learn how to shovel.

I won't poach on another man's preserve. If she's wearing a ring its hands off. Stephanie didn't get the ring when they were stampeded into an engagement by her relatives. The engagement didn't stick so that left Stephanie in my sights. If she'd say hands off and mean it I stay clear of her. I'd never make another pass. What's a guy to do when the woman sends him signals practically begging him to strip her bare where she stands then puts her hands up telling him to back off. Lucky for Miss Plum I'm the sort of guy who can take no for an answer gracefully.

I'm a one woman at a time sort of guy. I'm wondering if I need to finish what I started with Stephanie before I move on to my next conquest. The word conquest doesn't sit well when describing Racine. I don't want to conquer her, I do want to make her quake with ecstasy.

Racine is out of the SUV before I can turn the key off. She's in the bond office before I hit the sidewalk. Eyeing the women through the glass door it is tempting to drive off leaving the problem of Racine and Stephanie behind. I'm not a coward. Besides, there is the matter of my debt to Stryker.

My eyes lock with Stephanie's. I feel a familiar stirring. This is so fucked up. Not giving her a chance to protest I grab her arm dragging her behind me. I slam the door shut to the back room shoving her against the door.

My kiss is more plundering than gently persuasive. Using my tongue and hands to advantage it isn't long before her lips are moving against mine in slick response to my tongue's exploration of her mouth.

If we were anyplace other than Vinnie's back storeroom I'd have her down on the floor naked within a couple heartbeats. I feel better. For a while there I started to think Racine had broken through the wall I keep around my emotions. She is like any other woman. I want her, not because she is something special, but because she's a beautiful woman. I'd feel the same for any woman sleeping in my bed, sharing my living space.

I am not developing _feelings _for her other than my normal attraction to a presentable woman. She's a body just like the others I've taken to my bed over the years. Yeah, Stephanie is different but even she isn't allowed behind the walls guarding the inner man. I try not to let anyone know that man is weaker than he likes to let on.

"Babe." Desire deepens my voice to a raspy whisper.

She tries to pull me back down for another kiss but I'm back in control. We aren't alone in the office. I don't care what they think we've been doing. I just don't have the time to give this my full attention.

"Later," I say then brush her mouth with a fleeting touch of my lips. I want more, a hell of a lot more.

Opening the door I expected to find them with their ears pressed to the door. Maybe not Racine but Connie and Lula wouldn't have any scruples about listening in on someone else's private business.

I see the three of them looking out the front window. Racine is doing a little jig as she exclaims, "Joe. It's Joe." Then she's out the door running down the sidewalk. I don't like the black thoughts entering my head about how many ways a man can go missing and never be seen again. Wouldn't do to make a cop disappear.

We are just in time to see Rancine picked up and twirled around. Racine leans her head back laughing as her hands rest on Morelli's shoulders. Fucking showoff. _Look at me, see my muscles_. Give me a break.

I hear something like a feral cat hissing. That I assume is Stephanie's way of saying she doesn't appreciate another woman being so friendly with Joe. I'm not crazy about how comfortable they are together either. As a standin for Stryker of course. I feel like a protective brother. Guiltily I look upward trying to spot any stray bolts of lightening coming in my direction.

I want to roar like a lion not hiss like a cat. Hell, more than anything I want to plant my fist in that man's face. In all our dealings that emotion hasn't been in the equation. We have a working relationship with mutual respect when it comes to business. Stephanie is a subject we don't talk about. I keep offering my services from time to time hoping I'll get lucky. I even do some heavy persuasion at times. I don't push too hard when she says no. I get an uneasy feeling when it comes to me that lately I've been letting golden opportunities pass by. Today I have good reason for stopping things, too often in recent days I haven't had a reason at all other than I just plain and simple didn't want Stephanie Plum in my bed. A depressing thought. Glad I disproved that idea a few moments ago.

The sound comes again from the right of me. It's Stephanie. She's sucking in air turning purple. I wonder if she swallowed something and is choking. I pat her distractedly on the back.

"Joe, I am so glad to see you. I have so much to tell you," Racine says still being held by Morelli. Does he think she sprained her ankle doing her acrobatic act? She doesn't look like someone in pain. She's smiling so wide her cheeks will hurt for a week.

"I heard about your big bash. Didn't go so well huh?" Shouldn't he be the tiniest bit angry? After all because of her the condo is now trashed. I can't help the glee stretching my lips into a smile, of sorts. Maybe more of a grimace.

"I'm so sorry. I'll pay for everything they broke. It just grew, then it got completely out of hand," Racine said with a curl to her lip that looks suspiciously like a pout, a flirtatious pout.

"Don't worry about it. It looks like a burglary to me. It can be turned into the insurance. Hey, they planned to redecorate when they got back anyway. So you put any thought of worry to rest Sunshine. You'll get wrinkles," Morelli saya as he playfully runs his finger across her forehead then taps her nose with the tip of his finger just before he lowers her to her feet.

She leans her head against his chest looking up at him adoringly. It makes me sick, physically sick. I want to hurl. The man has corrupted her. She's like a puppy waiting for a pat on the head.

Grabbing Morelli's hand Racine pulls him along the sidewalk as she chatters on like a magpie. I really do think I'll hurl any second now.

"Guess what Joe? I'm going to be a bounty hunter. Remember how we discussed that? Maybe I won't be a very good at first but with Stephanie and Lula helping me I'll be as good as they are in no time." That gave Mr. Perfect pause for thought. We all know Lula is useless at best while Stephanie is mostly gaining ground on dumb luck. Her skills lean more toward instinctive than any actual bounty hunting skills.

"You don't say. And Ranger is okay with this?" I swear I'll lay the man out right here in broad daylight if he says one thing about me being lax in my duty toward Racine. Witnesses or not I'll take him out. It's all I can do to keep my usual cool emotionless façade.

Giving it further thought he is partly to blame. He got her the fucking gun. He didn't try to discourage her from wanting to be a bounty hunter.

"Well, Ranger wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea. I sort of gave him no choice. He did grill me pretty hard at the firing range and in self defense." Her cheeks light up like a Christmas tree with all red bulbs. Only we know what that is about. Ducking her head she chews on her lip. Instantly I recall nipping her lip in just that same spot. Desire rushes into all the appropriate places. Fuck! Just when I thought I had this all figured out.

"You know my opinion on women bounty hunters, shall we say the less… uh…Help me out here Sunshine," Morelli pleads his case to Racine.

"I should let you hang yourself but I'll take pity on you because you are one of my favorite people." Stephanie makes a gagging sound. Racine clueless, gives Stephanie a look of concern.

"Bug…flew down my throat. Choked." Stephanie is quite an accomplished liar.

"As to women and bounty hunting, women are just as capable as men are. It takes practice. Everyone has to learn how to do whatever job it is they take. No one is born knowing how to shoot guns, take down a criminal or any of the other skills required by someone in this field," Racine says earnestly.

"Hunh. That Ranger, I'll bet he left his momma's womb packing an UZI and pooping out live grenades in his diaper. Racine, you wanna listen to that man," Lula said.

I can't say I care for her speaking about my momma or me in diapers but that's Lula, plain, simple truth, as she sees it.

"Of course I'll listen to him. Stryker trusts him so I do to. I know he has only my best interests in mind." This would feel more like a compliment if Racine didn't trust every Tom, Dick and Harry coming down the pike. Until someone shows her different she takes everyone at face value. Take me, I don't look like I'd jump her bones with the tiniest sign of encouragement. So far I've spent over half our time together kissing, feeling her up or thinking about kissing her and feeling her up.

"Why are you here Morelli? Shouldn't you be doing your cop thing?" Stephanie asks with her resentment of Racine's closeness to Morelli clear to everyone. Lula and Connie step back.

Stephanie has provided me and my men with countless hours of entertainment. I can see Tank, Hal and the rest thinking up different pools. It might be best if I don't know what some of the pools are for. I don't mind them betting on how long it takes Stephanie to get one of my cars blown up or when it will be firebombed. I do mind them taking bets on which woman will win a cat fight. I know but I'm not saying.

Maybe I should diffuse this situation. Racine would wipe the floor with Stephanie then offer her a trip to the hospital all the while apologizing or reciting statistics about violence between women in today's society. She'd even be able to tell us where to go on the internet to check her facts.

Before I can play peacemaker Morelli turns all serious. He's slipped into his cop shoes. Playful fun loving Joseph Morelli is back in the closet.

"Actually I've come to speak to Ranger. It'll only take a minute. I was on my way to a crime scene and since Vinnie's is on the way I thought I'd stop by to give Ranger some important info about a security case of his that crosses over into a homicide of mine."

This is news to me. I can't think of any client I have that is connected even remotely to any open investigation of Morelli's.

"Hey ladies let's give these strong silent types some privacy. We can go through the files and choose a nice safe FTA for Racine's first outing," Connie offers as she herds the other three in the direction of the door.

With Stephanie on the loose my night would have been a waiting game to see when I had to come rescue her. Now I have Racine to worry about. I am patting my pockets hunting for my Rolaids. I had Ella buy me a role. Maybe I should look into ordering a case.

"I've been hearing some nasty rumors all day long. Drake Maroni's name has come up in connection with Racine. It has nothing to do with last night's bash. A friend of mine from the FBI gave me a heads up on potential trouble headed my way," Morelli's tone is all serious.

"What sort of trouble?" I knew but wanted to see how much the Feds knew.

"It has something to do with information The Company is looking for. Honest to God, it's called The Company, with capital letters. It's rumored a woman has the info. Long blond hair, twenty-something, ingests information likes its candy. Anyone you know?" he asks looking directly at Racine inside Vinnie's.

"How did the Feds get involved?" I suspect the whole alphabet soup of government agencies were monitoring everyone connected with The Company. They've probably known about them for years, they just never had anything concrete to move on. Also factor in that they were in areas that do not have extradition treaties with the United States. With Racine out in the open they now had some bait to lure in the sharks.

"Look, let's not play games here, not when it involves Racine's safety. You and I both know she's the target. From what I know what she has stored in her brain or on some disc is worth more than just a monetary value. These assholes want to rule the world. I don't know about you but I'm not ready to have anyone dominate me other than Stephanie, and lately that idea is getting to be less appealing," he says now looking at Stephanie.

That last statement better not mean what I think it means. So help me I'll kill the bastard, for Stryker of course. It has nothing to do with me other than she is my responsibility.

Gaining control I ask evenly, "How long do we have before we need to worry? They've already made one attempt at kidnapping her."

"Those four goons at the theater? Naw, they're local talent. Drake Morani saw Racine, liked how she looked, hired those goons to persuade Racine to join his pleasure palace. Of course, that doesn't mean Moroni hasn't been hired to keep Racine on ice until a representative from The Company can take over. Moroni's not stupid just criminally insane. He'd see the value in taking Racine prisoner so he could get the info from her then put her up for the highest bid," Morelli says as he reaches into his pocket for his Rolaids. I want one but I'd rather chew glass than let him see any weakness from me.

"How do you want to play this?" I offer not really caring what he says, it's just a gratuitous offer. The only one protecting Racine will be me and my men. Bring anyone else in and it will only muddy the waters, put legal constraints on us.

"Recent events aside I think you're the most qualified to protect her. I have too many other obligations. I can't say I like this bounty hunting kick she's on. At least she's capable of taking care of herself. She can think things through before acting on intuition or some other worthless crap that will get her killed because she refuses to carry a gun or use force until it is almost too late," he pops a couple more Rolaids as he eyes Stephanie with a dark frown. That pretty much sums up Stephanie's modus operandi.

If Morelli would work with Stephanie instead of trying to bend her to his will they could be a great team. I even think Stephanie would make an excellent police officer. With training and discipline she could be a credit to the Trenton PD. It isn't my place to tell another man how to handle his woman. At the moment I have a woman of my own giving me ulcers. No, not my woman, not my woman in that way. She's just a woman I am duty bound to protect, one I shouldn't touch, shouldn't want. She's a woman driving me out of my fucking mind.

Morelli leaves after telling me he'll keep his eyes and ears open. Just before he steps into his car I swear I hear him mumble, "Poor fucking bastard."

I hate spreading my men thin but it will be necessary in order to conduct my usual business and keep a watchful eye on Racine all the time. I need to go undercover for a couple days catching up to some men from my military days. A few are so paranoid they monitor everything. If it comes across from point A to point B by wire or satellite transmission they hear it. They aren't above listening in to lines that are supposed to be secure. Top Secret is only a suggestion to them not a directive.

Leaving Joe I make my way into the bond office. Before I change my mind about leaving I say, "I have to go out of town for a few days. Something came up."

"Out of town? Where?" Racine is bewildered I am sure as I made no mention of leaving this morning.

"It's personal." Racine puts her hands behind her back as she tilts her head to look at me. Her eyes travel all over my face. Whatever she saw must have satisfied her for she makes no protests. Maybe I should be worried. The last time she was on her own it didn't end well.

"Stephanie could you stay with Racine until I get back?" For a moment they all looked at me as if I'd grown two heads.

"No!" I don't know which one protested the loudest, Stephanie or Racine. Maybe Racine as her face is so red it looked ready to explode.

I heard a mumble from Racine that sounded like, "Allergies" and a "One bedroom, couch too lumpy. Sorry," from Stephanie. They shot one another a look I couldn't interpret. I'm not sure I want to. Damn it! I need some cooperation here.

"Ranger, your apartment is like Fort Knox. You have the best security in the state if not the whole country. What safer place can there be?" Stephanie asserts reasonably. Well, as we all know she has sought safety within the walls of my apartment when I've been there and when I haven't.

Stepping in close to Racine I wrap my fingers around her upper arms. Pulling her closer I say, "You can stay in the apartment alone. All I ask is that you don't go out with Stephanie chasing after any skips, just while I'm gone."

I can see the wheels turning inside her oh so very brilliant mind. She won't get around me that way. "Promise me you won't go outside the apartment for two days. Two days, that's all I ask. I know it doesn't sound fair but it's the best I can do."

I cut myself off just before I could threaten to lock her in the cell I had built when I finally realized sometimes Stephanie lost all good sense when seeking an elusive skip, one who may have given her the slip once or twice in a very embarrassing manner or some nutcase decided it would be fun to kill her after playing with her first.

Absentmindedly I run my finger over Racine's cheek. I follow the stain seeping up from her neck. Her lower lip drops down drawing my attention. A swipe of her tongue across that lip stirs up more than my blood pressure.

Her blue eyes take on a sultry quality I'd like to investigate more thoroughly than I have time for or the privacy to do us justice. I've been trying since I met her to figure out who her eyes reminded me of, now I know. It just came to me, Elizabeth Taylor. My mother was crazy about her and would watch her movies all the time. It was watch those movies or nothing in our house.

Elizabeth Taylor is the only woman I've ever seen with eyes such a distinct color. They were a deep violet just like Racine's. She has thick lashes but I haven't looked closely enough to see if she has the same genetic mutation Taylor had. Knowing how Racine came to be it isn't likely they allowed any flaws.

I feel in danger of losing my masculinity. I am comparing eye color and lash thickness and length. It's okay to think about those things just not to this degree. Maybe a few days away are just what I need. Hell, if things are going well, I may take a week.

A tugging on my shirt brings me back to the here and now. Apparently Racine has been trying to get my attention while I've been off in goof land.

Seeing she now has my full attention she says, "I promise I won't go out of the building. I'll even check in with the control room."

That was easy enough. She seems to be sincere. All the same I'll instruct everyone to be on their toes. I'll also slip a GPS in all of her shoes. I'm not a cobbler by trade but super glue works wonders.

**A/N: For anyone wondering, Elizabeth Taylor did have a mutation one that usually left the person blind. Lucky for her it only made her lashes look sexy and full. People always thought she had mascara on even when she was a young child. Got her into trouble at school. Enough lessons. Now, read and review. Teachers orders.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

**The Homecoming**

**Racine****'s POV**

Just as I promised I have stayed within the confines of Ranger's building. I've spent the last two days getting better acquainted with everyone. Some are very friendly, some are one word answer kind of guys, much like Ranger, all are scary as all get out, again like Ranger.

Ranger didn't say anything about using a phone. I've been talking to Morelli trying to get a handle on his personality other than the happy go lucky side I know and love. It goes without saying he is an excellent cop.

Ranger also did not stipulate I couldn't have visitors. I am debating inviting Stephanie for a heart to heart. I just need to convince myself her heart needs to remain beating in her chest and not lying on a platter with me standing over the still pulsating muscle. I swear I am becoming bloodthirsty. I dreamed this little scenario the first night Ranger left. Oh what Freud could make of that.

Since Ranger is supposed to be back sometime tonight I think I'll put off speaking to Stephanie. I want to make tonight special. Ella is an excellent housekeeper but I wonder if Ranger has ever had the personal touch from someone who cared about him as something other than a paycheck. That's not to say everyone working for Ranger doesn't care for him, some more than others.

Everything I need to set a scene for seduction can be found online. For my first cooked meal I chose baked chicken, steamed vegetables, a green salad with crusty bread sticks. Since Ranger doesn't eat desserts that is one less thing to worry about.

I know zip about how wine should taste other than if I like it. What I do know is it is a powerful beverage best taken in small doses. If it wouldn't seem childish I'd forgo alcohol altogether. Tonight I'll need a clear head.

Ranger called around seven saying he would be home within the hour. After half an hour I couldn't sit still. What if he thought this was some elaborate trap I set for him? Worse still, what if he got food poisoning because I didn't cook the chicken long enough? The mind can create all sorts of crazy scenarios given enough idle thinking time.

At eight I lit the candles I placed around the room. Dimming the lights I immediately turned them back up. Either the lights or the candles, one or the other had to go. The candles gave a soft romantic glow. The candles won.

Hearing the key in the lock I took one last look in the mirror. My dress is one I bought at the mall. It is a shade lighter than my eyes. My shoulders are left bare. It is daringly tempting without going too far overboard.

The four inch heels are a nightmare to walk in. If I move faster than a shuffle I begin to wobble. My legs look sexier but I have to wonder if it is worth the risk of breaking a leg. When Ranger steps through the door I can only say a silent "Hell yes it's worth it."

"I'm so glad you're home. It has been so lonely without you. Everything seemed to be waiting for something. Now I know it was your return." I can't be sure he smiled. I do think I see movement at the side of his mouth.

Grabbing his hand I guide him to the couch. Placing my hands on his shoulders I push down so he knows I want him to sit. Going down on my knees I tap the back of his calf.

He raises his brows in question. Tapping the back of his left leg I say, "Lift your leg. I'll take your boots off."

I saw a movie where the woman removed the man's boots, one thing led to another, kissing, lots of kissing then fade to black. It was an older movie. Back then they didn't show what happened after the initial kiss. It was left to your imagination. Lucky for me I have a vivid imagination as well as a trusty laptop with all manner of suggestions for what comes after.

So, okay, taking off a man's boots looked easier in the movie. It takes several tugs for it to come loose then when it does I fall back on my rear end. My dress hikes up to an alarming level.

Ranger doesn't seem to mind. In fact he looks as if he's enjoying my efforts. Following where his eyes are trained I blush as my black lace panties are being displayed for Ranger's approval. One good thing, they're new and don't have holes.

The second boot comes off easier than the first. Standing up I take them to the entryway. On my way back I pour Ranger a glass of wine. Snagging the cheese and cracker tray I bring that with me.

Sitting down at the end of the couch I pat my lap instructing Ranger to lay his head down. I saw this in a movie also. Hope it goes smoother than the boots. Settling him I then begin to trail my fingers across his forehead. In the movie the woman bent down to kiss her man. Feeling my insides flutter it might be better to hold off on the kissing thing.

"Ranger…" Looking down I see Ranger's eyes are closed, his mouth is relaxed. From the regular shallow breaths it would seem he has fallen asleep.

He does look tired. There is a dark stubble on his cheeks. Unable to resist this golden opportunity for exploration I let my fingers trace over the hard plains of his face. With a fingertip I travel the seductive shape of his full lower lip.

His neck is a long column of muscled sinew leading down to strong wide shoulders. Goodness, I feel as if I can't breathe or maybe it is that I am breathing too fast. How would it feel to lay my lips upon his in a first kiss initiated by me? How will he taste?

Temptation wins out over good sense. Bending down I place my lips on his. The angle is wrong but still the contact sets me on fire. Sanity is a distant memory. I give myself over to pleasurable sensations. Lust has taken me over to the extent I am oblivious at first to the firm lips beneath my softer ones moving as they open so his tongue can work its magic.

Against my mouth he whispers, "Let's move this into the bedroom." Okay, my mind is frazzled but I still have some working brain cells. The mattress is still missing from Ranger's bed.

"The mattress. It's still gone." The way I feel it might not be so bad. Like as not I wouldn't feel anything but Ranger from head to toe.

Moving faster than I can assimilate the fact he moved, Ranger stands up. Pulling me up to stand beside him he then begins tossing the couch cushions and pillows onto the floor.

How I got to the floor again I can't say. Everything unrelated to Ranger and what he is doing to me is irrelevant. Feeling his weight coming to rest over me, I feel a fresh flood of desire wash over me.

"I haven't…we don't have…" Is that voice coming out of me? Ranger must have been able to make sense of what I was trying to say because he says, "Don't worry. I'll take care of you." And he did. Lord above how he took care of me. He left my body inviolate while taking me to the stars several times. Holy crap! How could I have lived so long without this? Will I be able to live when it is over?

Our lovemaking wasn't one sided. Ranger is an excellent instructor in all things, his skills in this area are in my opinion in a class all their own. I have no other point of reference but I am sure this is why Stephanie has trouble staying away from Ranger. Once you've been Rangerfied, you're ruined for anyone else.

Falling asleep with my naked body draped over Ranger's is something no woman should live without experiencing. Too bad I find I do not like to share when it comes to Ranger. I want him for as long as he wants me. Knowing how he feels I have no expectations in forever when it comes to him and me.

Slowly I come awake. The cushions slid in all different directions during the night. Ranger kept his arms around me all night. I slept wonderfully well. Once I am fully awake, memories of last night flood my brain stirring up fresh desire. Wiggling experimentally I try to wake him. He does stir after several more vigorous movements on my part.

What better way to start the day than having your soul removed then put back through the power of one man's touch? Feeling bold my hand begins to trail downward. My wrist is grasped inches away from my target. Ranger's grip is tight enough to hurt. Have I done something to anger him? Nothing we did last night should bring out any negative emotions. I know for certain my world looked rosy until a few seconds ago.

Letting go of my wrist Ranger says gruffly, "I'm sorry. Last night was a mistake."

"A…a mistake? You're sorry?" Resting on my arm I look down at him, nothing shows in his face. He could be speaking to anyone, it just so happened he was speaking to me. I think I want to cry.

My IQ is hovering in the mentally deficit region as my mind tries to reconcile what he just said with his actions last night. He didn't act like a man believing he was making an error. In fact he was downright enthusiastic giving me instructions how to please him as well as demonstrating how talented he is in that area.

"I take all the blame. I came home tired, you were here acting all homey. You caught me in a weak moment. It's been months since I've had a woman," Ranger says without any emotion other than sounding dismissive as if I am a pesky fly he is trying to swat away without killing me.

I thought Ranger was finished humiliating me, I was wrong. His next words are quarantined to wound in a ruthless disregard for my tender feelings.

"Stephanie was the last woman to share my bed. Before I left we had a few intense moments without being able to seal the deal," he says surely knowing how I feel about his association with that _woman_.

Seal the deal? Those words ring in my ears repeating as if played on a loop. Was I a convenient body until he can _seal the deal_ with Stephanie? I think I need to be sick. Getting up out of the makeshift bed I stumble to the bathroom trailing the sheet behind me.

Gulping in air I sink to the tiled floor. The coolness contrasts with the heat of my body. A body warmed by Ranger. Cold seeps in replacing all warmth. Desperately I want to cry but only seething anger boils in my blood.

What do I do now? I feel so stupid. How could I hope to capture the interest of someone like Ranger? Why choose someone so juvenile when he can have someone like Stephanie or any woman he chooses?

Gradually I let go of the anger. It will not serve me well in this situation. Besides, a person can't help how they feel. If he doesn't care for me, he doesn't care, that's the end of that. Time to move on.

I don't want to live alone again. I certainly won't be staying here. That would be too awkward not to say humiliating to have to witness Ranger and Stephanie get all cozy. I'd rather eat a bullet. Well, at least my horizons are expanding. I've had sex, sort of, I've thought of killing myself, not ever going to happen, especially not over a stupid man called Ranger. Huh, imagine that, I've been De-Rangerfied. I am also creating new words. By the time I'm done I may have a whole section to submit on Ranger associated words alone.

Joe. I can go to Joe's. If I show up out of the blue, manipulate things the tiniest bit, by tonight I'll be Joe's new housemate. Joe has Bob. I've never had a pet. I'm not even sure if I want one or would be a good owner. This will give me a trial run.

Going out to the bedroom, I grab a suitcase and start cramming my things in with energetic thrusts. Now that I have a plan I am eager to set it in motion. Who knows, Joe may benefit from what Ranger taught me. It is yet to be known if we can shift gears from kid sister/big brother to lovers.

Ranger is dressed in only his jeans. He left the top snap undone. Focusing on anything other than the skin above the waistband of his jeans is hard, harder still is not bringing up images of what is beneath the zipper of his jeans.

Pausing with his cup halfway to his mouth Ranger gestures to my suitcase, "Leaving?"

"Yes." I wanted to say more but a sudden drought has taken up residence in my mouth.

"No." So he has a drought too.

"Look, I don't want this to get awkward. How will it work when you bring Stephanie here? Do you hang a sock on the doorknob signaling I should kill time someplace else?" Amy said some college friends of hers did that.

"I can't protect you if you aren't here." At least the drought is over for both of us.

"I thought of that. Joe offered to let me stay with him if things got too complicated. I suppose he was thinking of you and Stephanie too." Lying is getting to be much easier than I would have expected. This time my face doesn't even get all rosy.

"Morelli." How can someone put so much into one word?

"Yes, Morelli. This makes perfect sense. It has nothing to do with what happened last night or this morning," I say sweeping my hand to indicate the pile of cushions and bedding. Big lie this time, my leaving has everything to do with the events of last night and this morning.

"I'll take you." He bends down to pick up his t-shirt. Pulling in over his head gives me one last chance to appreciate his perfection.

"Not necessary. I have my cars. I'll have Joe bring me back once I'm settled in to pick up the other. I may even give it to him as a way to thank him for his generosity," I say just now thinking of that. If I hoped to raise even a spark of jealousy I am doomed to wait in vain. Ranger looks slightly bored if anything. Now I am boring him. I'd better leave while he still has a good opinion of me.

Picking up my purse from the top of the suitcase I sling it over my head so the strap crosses my chest. Lifting the suitcase with both hands I feel the strain. Maybe I should have taken two cases.

Ranger reaches out to take my burden but I say, "Don't bother seeing me out. I can get this. You'll probably want to let Stephanie know you're home." Now that was hard to say without letting loose the waterworks.

Going down in the elevator I stop to say my farewells to everyone. Silence greets my announcement I am leaving. Everyone looks to the others for a clue as to what is going on. I could tell them but then I'd have to draw myself into a fetal position until the ache in my chest eased.

Parking in front of Joe's I sit for a few minutes gathering my thoughts. I don't want to sound pathetic. I want to come off as confident and adventurous. I need for him to think this is something that isn't tearing me apart inside. He might just shoot Ranger then give him a pair of cement shoes. Old movies are a fount of information.

My finger is poised to ring the bell when I hear loud barking then the door shutters as if it is about to be removed from its hinges. Bob, I can't keep the smile from spreading.

"Stop, you'll break the damn door. Drop that sock, it isn't your breakfast," Joe yells from the other side of the door just before it opens.

"Sunshine, just the person I need to see. Bob's been backsliding or maybe I'm the one backsliding. I find it hard to be firm. Please tell me you're taking up my offer to train him. I'm running out of socks," Joe says as he affectionately rubs the dog's ear.

Bob gets down on his haunches ready to jump on me. Using the same tone of voice and one command word I used on the Dobermans guarding the compound on the island I say, "Sit. Stay."

"Someday you're going to have to teach me to do that. I am such a pushover. I try to be firm but usually end up caving in giving him whatever he wants." I wonder if that is how Joe will be with a child of his own.

"Remember, when you want him to obey give him one word commands. Anything more may confuse him. Try not to use hand gestures as he may not have been trained to recognize them. Most of all don't reward bad behavior. Give a treat when he complies with your demands. Those should be phased out over time," I say thinking I wish this could work with a certain male I know.

"So, what's with the suitcase?" The first I had a clue I was about to disgrace myself was when my lip quivered then it went downhill from there. I threw myself against Joe's chest mumbling incoherently into soft cotton.

From his hesitation in touching me I have to think he'd rather be anywhere than here with me as I cry my eyes out. Eventually he does wrap his arms around me.

Leading me inside he sits me down telling me, "I'm just going to go get your case. I'll be right back."

Bob slobbers all over me giving me doggie sympathy. If I had been allowed stuffed animals to sleep with I'd have loved one that looked just like Bob.

Sitting down beside me Joe says, "Spill. Don't leave anything out."

I don't know what it was, his willingness to listen without judgment or simply that I needed to purge, the fact is I left very little out of my retelling the sad story of my leaving Ranger's home.

"Aw, Sunshine, I did try to warn you. This thing, whatever it is between Ranger and Stephanie hasn't run its course yet. I'm not saying I haven't had thoughts of putting him out of my misery, but I've come to know that anything worth having is worth waiting for," he gives me a squeeze.

"At least you have the consolation knowing Stephanie loves you. Ranger, well, I'm not sure if he can really love anyone properly." How sad it is when Joe and I love someone not ready or unable to love us back. Yes, there, I've admitted it, I love Ranger. Impossible, ill-advised, we're completely unsuited, but there you have it, I love him for all the good it does me.

Mind over matter, I'll simply list all the reasons this can't be love, make a list of his faults, brush my hands together then get on with my life. Trouble with lists, there has to be something to put on them for them to be useful. There, this proves my point, I can't love him because I don't know enough about him to list his faults.

Joe gives me his bed, no demands I sleep with him for my own protection. What a crock of hooey. Someone with my intelligence should have been smart enough to know better than to fall for that baloney Ranger feed me. Ranger could have arranged for a bed to be sent up from one of the apartments below. They are all occupied at present but still…Stupid, gullible idiot, that's me. I let his magnetism blind me to logic and reason.

Waking with a much more positive outlook I shower, dress then go down to the kitchen where Joe is fixing scrambled eggs.

"You've broken Bob," Joe says with his back turned stirring the eggs in the skillet.

"Broken, what do you mean broken? He seems perfectly fine to me," I say giving Bob a closer look. He had the same dopey but lovable expression on his face from last night.

"He just sits and stays. No chewing, no sliding around running from room to room. I even think his manners improved when it comes to pooping. He wouldn't go in the neighbor's yard," Joe says trying to tempt Bob with a piece of cooked bacon.

"When you tell him to sit or stay, do you give him a release command when you want him to do something other than sit and stay?" I think Joe missed the part of my training instructions after we got Bob to sit and stay on command.

"Well, no. I sort of had to drag him out the door. Did I break Bob?" Now I know he's just being silly. I'll bet he's keeping things light in case I'm on the verge of tears again. Maybe I'll let him continue with his comedy routine before I tell him I'm all cried out.

"In my experience there isn't anything that's broken that can't be fixed. It may look different or function differently but it will still have value." And that is close as I am getting to saying I'm over Ranger and won't let him hurt me ever again.

While Joe finishes our breakfast I encourage Bob to act like his usual goofy self. In no time he's romping around sliding up and down the hall as he runs through the house. All the racket and destruction doesn't faze Joe. He may not know it yet but someday he's going to be a terrific father. Look how he lets Bob get away with his antics. How many people wouldn't mind a big hairy dog sitting on their furniture or slopping up leftovers from their dishes? What sort of man would let his dog steal his pillow, eat his socks, shoes and everything else that Bob found fascinating? The Joe Morelli's of the world, that's who.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

**Stryker's Coming Home**

**Ranger****'s POV**

Just because she's gone doesn't mean I can't keep an eye on her. I am her shadow when I don't have pressing business. That happens more than I like. Money is good but not if it keeps me from watching over Racine. I feel like such an ass. All this melodrama stems from my fear of commitment.

I hardly recognize the man that looks back at me from my mirror. Worry lines are beginning to show at the corners of my mouth. Frown lines are forming on my forehead. I think I look like shit but I must still have something going on because waitresses flirt with me blatantly offering me the key to their pleasure palace. I'm not interested. That bothers me. I should at least flirt back. Have I lost my mojo?

A month and I still miss her. Trying to tell myself I did the right thing doesn't make me feel any less crappy. The day I nearly took Tank's head off I knew I had to come to grips with my situation. Being without her is worse than being with her and fighting my natural urges. Why is it that I'm always so ready to push Racine away while I used to welcome Stephanie, in fact I worked hard trying to get her to forget her principles.

Feeling the sympathy from my men isn't something I like at all. Keeping everyone at arm's length is part of the reason I perfected the art of appearing as if I'm made of stone even if on the inside I'm churning out emotions faster than I can process them. It doesn't help that I am opening up a new office in Virginia. Half my work force is there getting everything set up. I would have gone back down there but when I got back Goldielocks was sleeping in my bed.

My first mistake was when I let Stephanie become too important to me. I should have let Morelli deal with her. My life is complicated enough without adding more stress. Maybe stress isn't exactly the word that fits my current situation with both Stephanie and Racine. I'm still working my way through my relationship with Stephanie. I know what the problem is when it comes to Racine. I let her become too close too quick. It scared the crap out of me. She isn't an amusing diversion like Stephanie was in the beginning. She's too innocent for the likes of me. That's why I sent her away. That and because I can't keep my lecherous hands to myself.

As for the other woman in my life, it is difficult to pigeonhole our relationship as there are so many twisted angles that make up how we deal with one another. We aren't normal. Morelli may be right, we may all be nutcases. I for sure feel close to losing my sanity.

Sitting at my desk for the last hour with my hands behind my head looking off into space hasn't revealed any great solutions to anything. I've regained control of my temper, my men now feel safe to address me with questions without holding a bullet proof shield in front of them. That's progress.

Most of the last month has been spent tailing after Racine. Tank had to restrain me when Morelli took Racine into the police station. That isn't what pushed my anger button, it was the coming out with a parade of young, not so young, married and who gives a damn if I'm married, officers. Did they actually feel the need to assist her across the parking lot into her car? When they all passed her their cards I hoped she'd politely accept them then toss them out the window.

Oh, no, not Miss Racine Crawford, innocent extraordinaire. She blew a kiss to them with a wave of her fingers. Picking up her purse she made a big show of putting them all in her purse. So now it is to be assumed she will have round the clock body guards. Trouble is, she'll need a body guard to guard her from the horny guy supposed to be guarding her.

I've kept my distance, giving her space. After the way we parted I'm amazed she still speaks to me let alone takes my calls. Whatever she felt for me seems to have fizzled out while my attraction for her is still in the steamy ready to blow region of the thermometer.

Our conversations are stilted neither of us asking anything too personal. Health, what we're doing, how's the bounty hunting going, say hello to the guys for me, those are all safe topics but mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.

So far Racine hasn't taken up bounty hunting. I won't let myself imagine what keeps her so busy every day and night. That line of thinking will only lead to bloodshed.

My personal phone ringing brings my feet down to the floor and my body on full alert. Usually a call on this phone means Stephanie has put herself in some sort of danger that needs my kind of expertise. Morelli has legal issues I don't have to worry about.

"Yo," I say expecting to hear a female voice on the other end. My adrenalin shoots into the stratosphere when I here who my caller is.

"Yo yourself Ranger old buddy," Stryker's voice is light, there are no sounds of gunfire or explosions in the background.

"Stryker, where the hell are you? Let me send a plane to pick you up." Is it wrong of me to hope he is in some foreign country? My insides burn with acid as I contemplate telling him I don't have Racine underneath my roof and haven't for over a month.

"So, good buddy, got something to tell me? Something like _where the fucking hell my sister is_ and _why the hell isn't she under your protection_?" Stryker sounds angrier than hell, as he should be.

"How do you know about Racine?" That's the question I choose to ask? I am such a self involved ass.

"You forget Ranger who you're talking to. I still have all my buddies from the state department on speed dial. I have the whole alphabet soup at my finger tips. Racine can make a guy forget how sick some people in the world are. I can see letting your guard slip. Even you can't be immune to a woman like Racine. She's the type of woman our mother's dream of and men go nutso over. I'm her brother but even I can see she can be a dangerous distraction for men like us. I don't like it but I know I'll have to deal with it," he sounds less angry now, more resigned.

"Stryker, you know I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. She's a grown woman. I can't force her to stay with me." Okay so I left out the part about dry humping her or introducing her to all the ways a man's mouth and hands can be useful. I seduced her in a weak moment then drove her away for her safety as well as my sanity. Who knew that her being gone would be harder to take than having her living under my roof unable to touch her?

"I'm in the states. I have to take care of a few things before I head back to Trenton. I'm removing as many threats as I can along the way. There are three two man teams that slipped by me. If they haven't tried anything yet they soon will so be on your guard. I need to call Racine to tell her to get her butt back to RangeMan. She'll listen to her big brother. She's a reasonable kid."

Boy, was Stryker in for a surprise when he saw Racine again. If he wanted to build an electric fence around her before, now he'll be building a ten foot concrete wall with barbwire all around the perimeter. I just might have to dig a tunnel underneath the damn place.

"I can give you her number." I didn't comment on his reference to Racine as a kid. She would have plenty to say I'm sure.

"Not necessary. The alphabet soup remember? Gives me all access to pretty much anything, including your security cameras, Ranger old buddy." That last part sounded almost threatening. Shit! My apartment is exempt from cameras as is the men's private living quarters. Pretty much everywhere else is under surveillance. My performance in the gym flashed in my mind.

He must have picked up on my unease because he said sincerely, "Hey man, don't sweat it. If the tables were reversed I'd do the same thing. Let's face it, mostly we are dogs. Can't say I'm not going to kick your ass when I see you, I just won't go hunting for you with my sniper rifle."

"Thanks." I'm too choked to say more. Really, what more needed to be said anyway? He'd come home, beat the shit out of me and I'd let him because I deserve it.

"I still trust you bro. Always have, always will. I'll call again when I'm closer to Trenton if I can." There is more he wants to say but being men we tend to leave a lot unspoken hoping everyone will know what's on our minds while we retain our strong silent personas.

No sooner do I disconnect from Stryker than all hell breaks loose in the control room. Hearing the shouting, instantly I jump to my feet running down the hall. Hal is pointing to a screen that shows us where Racine is and the status of her car.

The heat indicators are flashing. Her car is either on fire or seriously overheating. Tank is on the phone with Alex, who got assigned to follow Racine today. There is a shootout in progress.

For a moment that's all I hear, then I force my head to clear. Shots have been fired, people are hit, Racine's car is burning and she's in it. Alex and Rick are both injured. Alex is able to return fire but Rick is too badly injured. Breaking out into a cold sweat I order Tank to come with me. Issuing orders for several others to grab some rifles, I then instruct them to follow me. All of this is done on the run.

Climbing into my Hummer I push the peddle to the floor leaving rubber behind. If the damn gate isn't opened by the time I get there it's coming off its hinges. The opening is just enough for me to squeeze through scraping the sides of the car with metallic screeches.

We're fifteen minutes out. According to the monitor Racine is only a block from Vinnie's. There is no sign of emergency vehicles or the police. I see Alex's car in the middle of two other vehicles. Shots are being exchanged. I can see Alex is injured, but not how badly. Rick looks pretty bad. Racine is not in her car. The damn woman is crouched beside Alex returning fire.

When a bullet hits her squarely in the chest I feel the blood drain from my body. If she dies, I die, it's as simple and as complicated as that.

Leaping from the Hummer both Tank and I run across the street firing as we go. Reaching Racine I can see she is wearing a Kevlar vest. Morelli's handiwork, God bless him. It may hurt but at least she's not dead.

Off in the distance we can hear sirens. Guess we're not the only ones listening as the men we are exchanging fire with cease firing then run to their cars. Laying rubber they are soon down the block turning at the end of the corner. Standing up, I empty my clip into the back of their cars before they are out of sight. Not wasting time to reload I hold out my hand knowing Tank will fill it with a rifle.

Taking aim I pull the trigger until there are no shells left. The driver is hit but not fatally, at least not yet for the vehicle continues on. Damn, I'm getting rusty. I meant to shoot his brains out. I think I hit his ear, not killing him but pissing him off.

Morelli is one of the first responders. Ignoring everyone else he kneels down so he can inspect Racine. He is rewarded with a weak smile.

"I wore the vest, just like you told me to. I hardly felt the bullet at all," Racine says bravely.

"Sunshine, even I know it hurts like hell. Been there, done that, too many times to count. No need to be brave, your among friends. We won't think any the less of you." He kisses her forehead.

Just when I'm about ready to put a bullet in Morelli Racine looks at me reaching out her hand to me. "Ranger."

Okay, am I imagining more in that one word than is there? I thought only men did that, used one word to express so many emotions. Damn it I don't care. I'll take whatever crumb I can get.

Maybe it was an accident, maybe, just maybe it was an on purpose, I'm not sure but when I went to kneel down somehow my elbow ended up in Morelli's gut, jabbing him so hard he nearly feel on his ass.

"Careful Morelli. Wouldn't want you to get hurt." As if I give a fuck whether he is hurt or not.

"No problem, accidents do happen when we least expect them," he inhales between each word. I'm sure there is a threat of retribution in there. Bring it on Morelli.

Morelli speaks to the detective in charge. The go ahead is given for Racine to be taken to the hospital. After being treated someone will take her statement. After that she's coming home with me if I have to kidnap her.

Stephanie and Lula were standing off to the side looking shocked. For once Lula had no snappy comment. It hadn't even occurred to me to ask if they were in the car. Once on the scene, seeing all the bullets flying, my only focus was Racine and killing the bastards trying to get at her.

While the paramedics checked Racine out Stephanie and Lula gave their on-scene witness statements.

"We saw the whole thing. Racine slowed up when the car in front of her stopped abruptly. The passenger got out trying to force her from the car. The second car kept her hemmed in so she couldn't go anywhere. Alex and Rick arrived within seconds. Racine pulled a gun from underneath her seat then began firing," Stephanie said with a mixture of horror and awe.

"I knew that girl wasn't human. I think she's Wonder Woman or maybe Bat Girl cause I don't remember no Bat Woman." Stephanie looks at Lula as if questioning her sanity.

"I don't mind being Bat Girl. Good thing they didn't destroy the black Ferrari, I'll need it if I'm going to be Bat Girl. Ranger I think I want to go wherever you have your Bat Cave. If I can be safe anywhere it will be the Bat Cave," she says looking at me hopefully.

I could see the wheels turning in Stephanie and Lula's minds. They both thought I was like Batman, dark, mysterious and living in a Bat Cave. The building housing my security business and where I keep my apartment doesn't qualify as a Bat Cave in their eyes. Mine either. It's just a place to be when I don't mind being high profile.

Okay, so I'm not Batman but I do have a place some might consider a Bat Cave. No one knows about it but me and the realtor who sold it to me. Since Marvin Keats is dead my secret is safe and has been for six years. The warehouse was the first property I bought once I decided to settle down and plant some roots. It's a work in progress. There is an area that I use as living space then there is the other area with every piece of high tech equipment James Bond would be proud to own.

I use this hideaway as a base when dealing with certain factions I don't care to let into my personal life. The government leaves me alone in exchange for certain skills they ask me to use from time to time.

I'm not sure why I never took Stephanie there. Perhaps it is because she couldn't keep the knowledge to herself. Stephanie liked to share with her friends. My Bat Cave is a place I need to keep well hidden. It gives me a sense of security should certain people come looking for me. It helps that I purchased the property under an alias.

Looking at Morelli I ask, "Do we have a problem?" I'm referring to the shootout.

Scratching his ear Morelli says, "Well, that's up to a higher authority than me. Personally I don't have a problem with it. If all the guns are legal and the proper paperwork has been filed, this could be written up as a bodyguard protecting his client from a potential kidnapping. Of course you'd have to produce contracts along with all the other paperwork that uses a forest to make everything legal. I guess you have all that taken care of. I can give the go ahead and you can bring everything to the station in say, a day or two?"

Morelli knew I didn't have any paperwork. He was being a nice guy letting me know how to keep me from getting arrested. I also knew he wasn't doing this for me, he was doing it for Racine.

"I'll either bring the paperwork by myself or send one of my men." What I didn't say was that I appreciated his letting me off the hook even if it is more for Racine than me.

When they came to take Racine to the ambulance she clung to my hand not letting go even as they lifted her onto the gurney. I dared one of those attendants to try and stop me from getting into the back of that ambulance. My cold glare must have convinced them I'm a man not to be messed with. I've used that same cold glare when hunting down criminals. It works on all but the severely mentally deficit or crazy serial killer types.

I had to restrain myself when they cut away Racine's shirt. I suppose I used my glare again when one of them went to cut her bra away. My look said deal with it; you're not exposing another inch of skin.

At the emergency room I let them assume I was Racine's fiancée. That way there was less hassle about me being in the back room with her.

A few cracked ribs plus some very colorful bruises were the extent of her injuries. This is the second time Racine has gone out into the world, ran into issues then came back to me. I don't like the leaving part but I can't say I mind the returning at all. Oddly it feels like she's returning home, as in a home of permanence. That part still gives me the jitters. I fucked up my marriage the first time around. Who knows if I won't do the same thing, if, and that's a very big if, if I should get married again.

I need to speak to Stryker. He said he'd contact Racine when he could. He's the real Batman. He can get information or tap into anyone's phone or computer without breaking a sweat. He might break a few laws doing it which may disqualify him from being Batman. Come to think about it, the blurred line I walk between legal and criminal is a gray area.

There have been times when I've stepped way outside what is considered legal. In order to get things done the laws get circumvented, take Morelli giving me a pass today. That reminds me, I have to call Hal so he can get some paperwork going. I can't foresee any problems. Racine will sign on the dotted line hiring me as her personal bodyguard. I'm sure I can come up with some sort of payment plan that will be agreeable to the both of us. First I'll have to make her forget what a complete ass I was the day she left.

Leaving the hospital I found it hard not to treat her as an invalid. What I wanted to do was scoop her up in my arms, find a room, preferably with a soft bed and then hold her, until all the craziness drifted away from our memories.

Old habits die hard for as I head to my safe house, or in this case a warehouse, I want to blindfold her. I'm not used to being so completely open with anyone. The closest I ever got to opening the door into the inner me, was with Stephanie.

Not many people come to this part of town. This industrial section is all but abandoned. In the future I may have to relocate as there is talk of developing the area. The return on my investment will be ten times what I paid for it so I won't feel any regret for having to move. I'm not emotionally attached to this or any other property in my portfolio. I try not to let emotions control any of my decisions when it comes to business. My personal life used to be ruled by the same standards as my business, cold, clean, efficient with no emotional involvement. My life was ruled by my head not my heart or the other head between my legs.

Using the automatic door opener the two doors begin to separate. They lead into a room with cement block walls and a cement floor. Anyone looking inside would only see empty space. As soon as the doors closed the floor rose then made a half turn. The wall opened up into the part of the building designed by me personally.

This is the section I designated for my cars. There are ten black vehicles waiting for use should they be needed. I shudder thinking of how many Stephanie had destroyed in her possession, not personally but by someone dogging her or by Lula's Barney Fife impersonation. The woman can't hit a target five feet from her. She's a menace. Stephanie, for the most part shoots with her eyes closed when she even remembers to take her gun or load the damn thing.

Stephanie and Lula would go nuts in here. I could see Racine was somewhat in awe too. She immediately went to study all the panels spitting out info on various things of interest to me. I like to keep my hand in several pies just in case.

I have areas for different physical endeavors. I set one wall up for rock climbing and repelling. There are ropes hanging from the ceiling for me to climb which helps keep my arms strong. I believe a man should have a strong mind and strong body. The same goes for women. That aspect bothered me with Stephanie. She couldn't stick with the simplest exercise schedule or eat a healthy diet for any length of time. For the most part she always looks pretty much the same. She's soft in the right places, curves a man can wrap his hands around. Damn, the images I'm seeing are getting me all confused, hot and bothered too.

In the beginning her whining about exercise or eating healthy was sort of cute. I guess as time went on with no changes maybe I saw it as a weakness. My strict military training coupled with my own personal belief in treating the body as a temple might have subconsciously given me a negative vibe where Stephanie is concerned. I'm not a health nut just particular about what I put in my body.

Then again, maybe I'm using any old lame ass excuse to distance myself from Stephanie. It's easier to find faults when you're looking for an escape. Lately I've been wondering if that's what I've been doing, seeking to find every little negative thing about Stephanie so I can justify my withdrawal from her.

Racine turned from a monitor that received data from a satellite supposedly only accessible by the military. As I go into places that are major hotspots around the world I like to keep a close watch on suspicious activity. The info is recorded then viewed by me every couple of weeks. It's all stored in a vault built into the floor. It's taken me over 3 years to set this all up. With help it would have taken maybe one year but I didn't want to risk anyone knowing about this place in connection to me. I want it to continue to look like a sad old warehouse being neglected and left to rot.

"You really are Batman. Or maybe The Dark Knight suits you better. This…this is incredible. Some of this equipment isn't even on the market yet. I won't ask how you came by the technology. You'd have to kill me right?" Her eyes are alight with wonder. I wonder if she's missed having this type of technology at her fingertips. She turns so she can examine some data being fed into my computer.

Coming up behind her I move in close so we are touching, her back to my front. Sliding my hands around her waist I pull her into my body. So much for taking it slowly. I couldn't resist the temptation to touch her. It seems like a lifetime since I held her.

"Ranger," comes from her lips on a strangled whisper. Small hands cover mine stroking her fingers over the back of my hand. Something so simple feels more erotic than if she did a striptease in front of me, maybe not, but it sure is arousing.

She smells like smoke and possibly the sweat from Alex and Rick. She is wearing scrubs the hospital gave her. Not attractive at all. I shouldn't be in the condition I'm in but abstinence is a bitch. Dreams of making love to her just aren't as satisfying as the real thing.

When she turns around wrapping her arms around my waist I feel my self control slipping. A nose nuzzling into my chest brings a groan from me. This keeps up and I'll drag her to my Bat Cave bed. I do have some interesting features no mass produced mattress has.

"Racine," my voice is low but holds a warning.

"Hmm?" She is busy now inching my t-shirt up my stomach. Her hands touching my flesh is enough to have me gritting my teeth trying to keep a rein on my urge to swoop in and take what she is willing to give me.

"Listen, you've just been through a traumatic event. You're vulnerable. I'd be a bastard if I took advantage of you. It's natural to want to be close to someone." I feel proud of the way I handled this situation. Stryker should give me a medal for sacrificing want and need to consideration for an innocent.

Stepping back a couple of feet from me her eyes travel up and down settling on my face. For a split second she fixates on my lips. Bringing her gaze back to my eyes she asks, "You mean if I went home with Joe I'd be offering to hop into his bed?"

Fuck no. Again Stryker should be handing our medals. I kept from turning the air blue with my foul thoughts concerning Morelli in any sort of intimate embrace with her. If her legs are going to be wrapped around anyone it's going to be me.

Moving slowly I begin to stalk her. Some instinct must have moved her feet as her face is showing surprise. With so much open space there is room for her to move without being stopped by obstacles. Cleverly I maneuver her into my living space backing her into the couch. My smile is predatory laced with victory.

Lifting her up onto the back of the couch I insert my body between her legs. She flushes. I'll bet it goes all the way to her toes. Maybe I'll turn in my fictitious Boy Scout badges and find out.

My kiss is neither gentle nor hesitant. My tongue strokes her lips. When she gasps I slip my tongue inside her moist mouth. I'm not a deep down your throat kind of guy. I haven't had any complaints. Racine's moans are definitely of the appreciative kind. Her wriggling body is all the proof I need of my power over her. Of course much longer with her moving against me and the tide will turn. I'll be the one doing the primal dance between her thighs.

A ringing is an irritation, one that persists. Gradually it becomes clear a phone is ringing. The sound is coming from Racine's phone. Fuck! Whoever that is better hope they are miles away.

"You'd better take that. It could be Morelli with more info," I say still nuzzling her neck. Sucking gently I brand her with a love bite. Primitive it might be but then, with Racine I feel all my primal urges coming to the surface.

"You'll have to let me go," Racine says smiling against my mouth which is now covering hers. I wrestle for a few seconds with the idea of throwing every fucking phone out the nearest window. Works for me. I'm not so far gone my conscience will let me do something like that. Call me Mr. Responsible for I am able to step away from Racine instead of acting like a Caveman in contrast to my Batman image.

Touching her finger to the screen she says, "Hello."

Her excited exclamation of, "Stryker!" brings me completely back to earth. The cloud of sexual fantasy dissipates.

Since she has him on speaker phone I can hear both sides of the conversation. I'm not sure I feel comfortable with that in case Stryker mentions my pawing his sister.

"Hey Einstein, how goes it? Being good? Say, I heard a nasty rumor about a shootout. I've got another friendof mine keeping long distance tabs on you. Are you okay?" Concern for his sister gave Stryker's voice a tenderness he's never expressed for anyone else.

"Don't call me Einstein, I want to be normal. No one named Einstein is normal. I don't know what you mean by being good. Good at fitting in, finding my way? As for the incident earlier, I am fine. A few bruises. I'll be completely recovered in a week or so according to the doctors. I heal pretty quickly. I won't ask how you know everything. You like your 007 image," she says sounding normal even with her face flaming with the flush I put there.

Making a move to step further away from her Racine grabs hold of my belt buckle. Slipping her fingers over the top they go further than I think she meant them too. If her eyes get any bigger they'll engulf her whole face. Okay, so I thought she'd pull away once she realized that isn't a gun hidden in my underwear.

The little tease wiggles her fingers causing all kinds of disruption down below. Could be she isn't savvy enough to know I was already half cocked and ready to shoot when Stryker called. Now I'm on the brink of not giving a damn about much of anything other than she continues finger tag with what makes me male.

"Listen Racine, I'm going to be serious for a moment. I know you can't stay cooped up forever but please promise you won't go anywhere alone and if Ranger can't be with you at least let one of his men tag after you. Keep a tracker on you at all times. Promise," Stryker says with no emotion or not so anyone who doesn't know him would hear.

"I promise. Just one thing, I still would like to try to be a bounty hunter if it's even for one day. I'll go after someone easy. Stephanie and Lula can come with me. If Ranger can't come he can send one of his men. Joe, my friend Joe Morelli, he's a homicide detective, offered to tag along if I go out on one of his days off. So, you see, there is nothing to worry about. I'm well protected. You know what I can do. You tested me and Ranger tested me. I'm prepared." Maybe she's trying to convince herself as well as us.

"Yeah, about that testing, I will make a point to speak to Ranger about it when I get back. In the meantime, no more testing with anybody, not Ranger and not this Joe Morelli. I have dossiers on both of them. It took ten folders to get all the info my colleagues sent me. On second thought, does Ranger have a couple gay men he can assign to you? That would be one worry off my mind." I believe he's kidding but with Stryker it's hard to tell.

After a teary goodbye Racine hangs up. I take her in my arms. Shit. How can a man in good conscience take advantage of a woman in such a vulnerable state? Of course there's always tomorrow.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I swear when I first thought of this concept I didn't foresee Ranger and Racine being so contrary. Since I don't write any plot or outline and simply type as I think of something what I type is not always what I thought would come out when I start a chapter. The characters have minds of their own. **

**I am inviting everyone to read my other stories. A Fifty Shades of Grey story with another tortured hero. I also have one called Innocence Lost on fiction press. I just posted my last chapter for Angel From the Sea my Phantom of the Opera story. **

**I truly do appreciate every single reader and reviewer. I was in a depression for a few weeks and the reviews coming in gave me a ray of sunshine so again, thank you readers and reviewers. You are a bright spot in an otherwise boring life. **

**C****hapter Thirteen**

**New Hunter in Town**

**Racine****'s POV**

Ranger is so patient with me. I wanted to go out the very next day but he explained things had to be set up so that everyone would be better protected. That made sense. It is getting harder for me to keep from doing something a descent woman probably shouldn't do. There are times when my skin prickles, I turn my head catching Ranger looking at me with a dark swirl of emotion in his eyes. It might be passion, desire, whatever you want to call it or it may simply be heartburn. I'm not well versed enough in such matters to know. I bet Ranger could teach me. I'll even go so far as to say he'd be an excellent teacher. My one experience with him almost scorched me alive. It for darn sure left me wanting more.

After speaking to Stryker things sort of cooled between us. It's as if we're playing a waiting game to see who breaks first. The air crackles with sexual tension.

How do I convey that I want him? Would it be slutty to let him know I've healed completely and I can now get physical? Just in case my injuries are keeping him from making a move I make use of his equipment. I went up and down the wall so many times I think I should plant a flag and claim it as my territory.

He answered my hundred and one questions about everything in his Bat Cave. Sometimes I slip and call him Batman. I'm not sure but I think he smiles. It's hard to tell.

As a test drive for the security plan he worked out with his men Ranger took me for a ride on his Harley. What a monster that is. It rumbled and throbbed between my legs in a way that made me blush because I could imagine Ranger's motor rumbling and throbbing with me straddled over him.

There beside his Harley was another motorcycle, a Ducati. I asked why we didn't take that one and from the look on his face I for darn sure I would not _EVER _touch it with a ten foot pole. I don't know if I could handle knowing Ranger rode with Stephanie as he did with me so I didn't ask. I'm afraid I'd hunt that woman down and do her some injury. It's hard to keep reminding myself it isn't her fault. Everything that happened between them was before Ranger even knew about me. Well those two trips to the back room at Vinnie's aside that is. Honestly if I ever let go I could quite possibly do Stephanie some injury and I don't think Ranger or Joe would forgive me if I did.

Shamelessly I took advantage of the necessity to hold on to Ranger. Credit has to be given to Ranger's ability to function under extreme conditions. My hands inevitably find their way beneath his waistband. They also slid over his muscled chest taking time to give each rib careful attention. Lula says he has a six pack, I say it's more like an eight pack. Unless I want to wreck I'd better leave discovering his leg muscles for another time.

Returning to Ranger's he parks the bike. We both get off. I take only a few steps when Ranger closes the gap between us. Without warning he lifts me by my waist, walking across to the counter that divides the kitchen from the rest of the living space. He acts as if I weigh nothing. He steals the breath from my body when he lifts me onto the counter. Coming between my legs he does indeed rumble and throb. What his tongue and hands can do is something otherworldly.

The kiss deepens as our movements become more frantic, more urgent. I am engulfed by his heat. Strong sure hands remove my t-shirt. Bending down he removes my boots. He uses his mouth and nuzzling nose to remove my socks. Warm moist kisses start at my instep moving upward.

Wanting to tear my jeans off so I can feel his lips on my skin, he forestalls me from doing so. My zipper seems to come undone with ease. Lifting me up he slides my jeans down until he can toss them somewhere, I'm sure we don't care where.

Long fingers lightly skimming over my thighs leaves a trail of heated skin behind. Like a blind man reading Braille Ranger learns all my secrets by touch alone.

My fingers are clumsy working his belt loose. They are even less nimble unsnapping his jeans. Eagerly I slid his zipper down. He grabs my wrists before I can touch the skin tempting me to forget my lack of skills in sexual encounters.

"Before we go any further, tell me now if you want me to stop. Another minute of you touching me will exhaust my willpower to deny me what I want," Ranger says giving me a direct look.

"Crazy man, did it seem as if I wanted to stop? I believe I am the one who had my hands about to slip inside your jeans. Want to know what I was going to do once I found what I was looking for?" How far I've come. I may not be a great seductress but I think I can hold my own.

"No." Short and to the point. Seriously? "Show me." He caught me by surprise when he picked me up off the counter so he could carry me to the bed. Ranger took his time despite his display of enthusiasm earlier. My effort may be on the inept side but I do think Ranger moans out approval during some of my more adventurous treks over his body. Reading him like a map I designate this area as one that makes him thrust out of control, that one drags a groan from him, other places have him grabbing for me bringing me on top of him. This spot will become the capitol of Rangerland.

Thank God Ranger kept his head long enough to remember protection. If left to me I'd have ridden him bareback. That leads to consequences I'm not ready for.

Rapture, like dying yet you are alive. I do think my heart stopped when Ranger claimed me as his own. Brief discomfort gave way to indescribable sensations. This night shall forever be imprinted in my mind. It is the night I felt for the first time Ranger might love me. He did not make any declaration but every stroke of his tongue, brush of his fingertips, the rhythmic rocking of tender lovemaking must mean there is more than the mere physical aspect between us.

It nearly kills me to imagine him doing this to Stephanie. Lying within his encircling arms I have to wonder if Ranger is the same with any woman. Perhaps it is only skill from the hands of a master giving me false hope. Sex and love do not always go hand in hand. Men and women can feel desire without having any emotional attachment to their partner. There does not even have to be any real liking on the part of either person. To continue along this thought process will drive me crazy. I can only pray he does hold some tender feelings toward me, more than just wanting me in his bed.

Waking up with warm male arms holding me close with his hand curved around my breast is by far the best way to wake up imaginable. As his lips nuzzle into the curve of my neck the delights keep coming.

Nearly an hour later we've showered, dressed and began to eat breakfast. Ranger is usually up and out by this time. A late morning for him is anytime after eight. It is now ten. He doesn't seem to mind. There have been several calls. He checked his phone then put it aside.

During breakfast a call comes in that causes tension in Ranger's shoulders. With a quick look at me he says, "I have to take this. I'll take it in my office. I need to be able to get to my computer."

As far as I know Ranger hasn't ever lied to me. Just now I believe he told me a lie. His eyes did not meet mine. Some quality in his voice felt off. What drove the lie home was when I heard the muffled, "Babe" just before he closed the door to his office. I know Babe is Ranger's pet name for Stephanie. Now, I am thinking I no longer wish to be called Angel by Ranger or anyone. Pet names are for dogs. I hate pet names especially _Babe_. I can't go so far as to say I hate Ranger, maybe not even Stephanie. He…he cared about her first. Did he love her? Yes, he loved her, any fool could see that. Why else would he put up with all she puts him through? Look at poor Joe. She's practically emasculated him. He's climbing out of that pit. Is Ranger in danger of falling in?

I refuse to cry, shout or in any way show how devastated I feel. I knew going in that there was and still is something between Stephanie and Ranger. What really hurts is knowing it is more than a sexual attraction they share. Although I am shattering on the inside my outer form will remain the same. I'll still be stupid gullible Racine, the product of some experiment, the woman destined to be on the outside looking in. Oh Stryker, please hurry home. I think I might need your strong shoulder to cry on.

Clearing away the breakfast dishes gives my hands something to do other than pull my hair out or destroy everything not nailed down. The urge to smash and destroy is very strong. The Ducati particularly is in danger of coming under a sledgehammer.

When Ranger returns to me I have to keep moving so he doesn't get too close to me. If he tries to hold me or kiss me I may fall apart. It's amazing how normal I sound. I manage to find ways to keep the length of the room between us.

When he is ready to leave so he can go to RangeMan headquarters I must ride with him unless I plan on stealing one of his cars or Harley. My black Ferrari will be in the parking garage at RangeMan.

During the ride neither of us speaks. This is usual for Ranger. Idle conversation is not his forte. My silence therefore will not be noticed or thought strange.

"I have something to do this afternoon but later I'll be back and we can have a late lunch," Ranger says distractedly. I am but an afterthought in his day. It does not take a genius to know what or rather who has him so distracted. I don't know for certain but it is a reasonable assumption he is meeting with Stephanie.

"I won't be here later. I plan to go by the bond office to see if I can pick up a couple easy FTAs." Well goodness, don't I sound all professional.

Ranger whips over to the curb causing the car behind him to swerve into oncoming traffic. I'm glad our windows keep me from hearing what the other driver is saying. If the hand gesture is anything to go by it can't be a pleasant how do you do or have a nice day.

Turning to me Ranger says, "I thought we agreed you'd stay with me or with one of my men."

I didn't point out that I made that agreement shortly after nearly being killed but now that the immediate threat was no longer in evidence I planned to go about my life as usual. I held off telling him that I no longer wished to spend any more time with him than necessary. I plan to ease out of the relationship, affair, whatever this is, gradually.

"I can carry one of your tracking devices. I'll have a _loaded_ gun along with all the other paraphernalia needed to be a _proper_ bounty hunter." Okay, so I emphasized certain words so he would know I'm not the idiot Stephanie is. I'm responsible. So I'm being a bitch. I'm entitled. Being fair minded I must credit Stephanie with having something, luck, intuition, whatever, it is what enables her to catch a FTA now and then. If she did things properly she'd likely be one of the top bounty hunters. Anyone can learn how to beat the crap out of someone, shoot a paper target or subdue someone not wanting to be subdued.

Joe and I have had several conversations about this very thing. I know he is frustrated and worried about Stephanie's safety. Even more I think he worries he might lose Stephanie to Ranger permanently. It seems we are all working at cross purposes.

Ranger searches my face longer than I like. I can only hope I am no longer the open book I was when I first came here. Hopefully I'm becoming a lying, conniving, don't give a damn person most people seem to be. My mind hasn't wrapped around the fact that I'm one in a long line of bedmates for Ranger. All this bed hopping strikes me as being tawdry.

I suppose he found nothing but my usual bred into me sweet nature. The seething cauldron I am becoming is not yet showing in my voice, face or actions. When it eventually blows I wonder how bad it will be. Do I have a temper? Shouldn't I be threatening to cut his balls off, beat Stephanie to within an inch of her life? Maybe I am thinking of those things but don't feel as if I'll act upon those ideas, not immediately anyway.

While Ranger is distracted with Tank I make my getaway thus avoiding the issue of a kiss goodbye. In order to leave without speaking to Ranger I'll have to leave my car and he has the keys. I feel cheated not to have one more kiss to add to the list of things to remember Ranger by.

I'd like to drive but can't be sure I wouldn't swerve and hit him. That's the how angry I am under my calm exterior. Breaking into a run I ignore Ranger's shouts practically ordering me to stop. I need a good hard run to expend some hostile energy. I arrive at Vinnie's feeling hot, sweaty but much better mentally.

Only Lula is in the office with Connie. No surprise there. Maybe Stephanie was already at RangeMan when we arrived. She could have been in his apartment. She had a key. She had a key to everything. I had a key to his apartment. Big deal.

"Hey girl, how are you after all that excitement yesterday? I thought for sure Ranger would have you under lock and key," she pauses to give me a good once over, "You don't look like you've been ravished by no Ranger. A woman been ravished by Ranger don't walk right the next morning and she has a goofy grin plastered on her face. I should know, I've seen Stephanie after she's been Ranger ravished."

Connie is all but dancing at her desk trying to get Lula's attention. Perhaps she is concerned I will kill her friend, Ranger's _Babe_. I have to concentrate very hard to rid myself of the red haze beginning to cloud my vision. I don't want to commit murder thus ending my newly found freedom.

"Ranger has an early meeting. Besides I came prepared," I say indicating my fully equipped utility belt with a fully loaded gun strapped at my side. I pretend not to hear anything else.

"Oh, now I remember, Stephanie said she was meeting Ranger. Said they had some private business to discuss which is why I'm hanging here with nothing to do," she says not knowing she's grinding salt into my wounds.

Connie at last has reached the end of her endurance as she launches a stapler at Lula. "Hey, what gives? You could have put my eye out or something."

"Sorry, it slipped out of my hand," Connie says jerking her head in my direction. She looks like she has a nervous tick.

Lula gives her a questioning look to which Connie nods in my direction more vigorously. I imagine I was supposed to be kept in the dark. Was that Ranger's idea or Stephanie's?

Trying to make light of everything I say, "Oh, I know about the meeting. Ranger told me all about it. No big deal. So, if you're free and trust me not to take unnecessary chances maybe you could show me the ropes taking down my first FTA."

"Well I'm not sure about this. What did Ranger say?" Connie asked.

"Would I be here if he had an objection?"

"I suppose not. Well, if you're sure I suppose we do have a couple easy captures," she says handing me two files. One is a shoplifter the other tried to hold up a liquor store with a finger in his pocket. Neither sounded particularly intelligent or dangerous on paper. I'd rather have someone that would require a little more force on my part.

Since my red Ferrari is toast and the black one is still at Ranger's we took Lula's Firebird. We went through a McDonald's drive-thru as it was nearly lunch by Lula's stomach clock. She needed capturing energy. I passed on lunch as I didn't want to be weighed down in case I needed to run, kick the crap out of someone, or just kick the crap out of someone for the hell of it.

We drove by all the known addresses and hangouts for Jeff Morison. Two hours passed without seeing either hide or hair of him. Patience wearing thin with Lula's constant complaining plus not finding someone I could take to the ground with prejudice, I finally got a lead. I went to his ex-girlfriend's apartment. She was in the mood for some payback. Jeff had cheated now she wanted to see him pay. This felt a little too close to home but I carried on.

"That rotten asshole, he's staying with Slasher, the crazy guy he met last week at a bar. I think they're planning some big job. Jeff didn't tell me much. I guess he knew his number was up and didn't want to share with me when he scored. Rotten bastard!" She slammed the door in my face. I had what I needed.

Ranger called just as I got back into Lula's car. I thought about ignoring it but knew he'd have one of the guys come look for me if I did.

"Hello." Cool, calm, friendly. Underneath I plotted how to get rid of the bodies.

"Yo. I'm caught up in something and won't be finished until late. I'd have Tank bring you here but…well I need my rest. You understand," he said not sounding like the usual cool emotionless Ranger we all know, love and hate in equal portions, at least I do. I can't speak for everyone else.

Just to test my theory I say, "I could come by, fix us something to eat then drive back to the Bat Cave."

"Oh, well, no, uh, I'm having an early night. Real early. Hate to do this but you're too much of a distraction Angel."

Do I have steam coming out of the top of my head or my ears? I must not as Lula doesn't appear to be alarmed. Wanting to reach through the phone and strangle him I must instead sound completely duped, suckered, clueless to his deceit. I may take up acting. I think I have a flare for it.

"Call me when you get to the Bat Cave. I want to make sure you get home safely." He sounds amused by my continuing to refer to his main base of operations as his Bat Cave. I'm a joke. A second hand one at that. It isn't even my original material. Pathetic.

"Later. Lula and I have an FTA to find." No I love you or kissy noises into the phone. Well, I can't imagine Ranger making kissy noisy unless he's actually kissing you. Fine, great, makes moving on easier. I disconnect the phone as Ranger begins to veto me chasing after anyone. Let him wonder. Let him stew about who I'm with, what's going on. Maybe he won't give me another thought. That hurts more than I like.

Lula drives to Slasher's rundown house. Using my fist with a lot of pent anger I shout, "Bond enforcement agent. You failed to appear for your court date. I have to take you in Jeff. Come out so we can get you all set up and right with the law." I hoped I didn't go over the top. I hadn't rehearsed what I'd say once I actually had someone I had to bring in.

The nose of a sawed off shotgun came through a crack in the door then fired with a flash of light. I hadn't expected that. Shades of Stephanie Plum. Grrrr. Did I just growl? You betcha. My animal instincts are kicking in.

My hand whipped out to grab the muzzle of the rifle spare seconds before the idea formed. I gave it a yank pulling out not Jeff but Slasher. He was someone I could get my teeth into.

Using my right foot I kicked his feet out from under him. Falling to the ground he dropped the rifle. Breathing heavily I waited for him to make a stupid move such as resist again. He did.

Coming up to his feet I let him swing wildly. Every so often I'd hit him with my fists. Not in any bony spot. I didn't want to break my hand. Kidneys, nose, gonads, those were acceptable targets.

I kind of lost sight of my objective which had been to apprehend Jeff Morrison. My feet landed some good solid blows knocking the stuffing out of Slasher. When he could take no more he fell to the ground and did not even make an effort to get to his feet again.

"Lady, I don't know who you are but please, don't hurt me. Take me, do what you have to. I thought Slasher was a crazy motherfucker. He's a pussy compared to you," Jeff proclaims offering me his wrists.

Lula stood speechless on the sidewalk. I don't know if she even came to the door with me. My focus tunneled once I left her car. Not safe, but hey, at least I felt better. I could now give apprehension my full attention.

"Holy crap! You are Bat Woman," Lula said with awe.

"No, not Bat Woman. Anyone but Bat Woman," I object childishly.

"Well then how about Wonder Woman. You could be Wonder Woman." She opens the back door for me. Jeff gets in without any problem. I should probably put Slasher up on his porch at least but my inner woman is not yet completely in balance. I still have some issues to work out. He can rot on the ground or get himself up to his own darn house. I'd place a 911 call to report the shooting.

A second guy comes out of the house. He saw Jeff in Lula's car and shouted out, "Hey, Jeff, you let these two candy ass bitches take you down?"

As luck would have it he's my second FTA. I guess they were forming a gang. Now they could be jail buddies.

Jeff calls out the back window we left cracked, "Terrence, that one there, the one nearest to you, she beat the holy crap out of Slasher. Left him lying on the cold ground without even checking to see if he was dead or alive. I gave myself up. I didn't want any part of an ass whooping."

I don't imagine I look scary or able to stir up some dust but something must have convinced Terrence to comply because he spit then stuck his hands out. I cuffed him mildly irritated I couldn't at least slap him around some.

Before I left I made the call to the police and took the rifle. I'd turn it in when I delivered my captures. I made sure to empty any remaining bullets. It's a shame the gun will be confiscated. It's a collector's piece. A Winchester if I'm not mistaken, one from the mid 1800's. It will probably be destroyed. I haven't researched the laws concerning weapons taken during arrests. I doubt though it will come up for auction. I am so tempted to keep it for Stryker. He's nuts about guns especially those considered antiques.

I didn't need the money I earned from the captures. I gave Lula half then spent the rest on a celebratory pizza party one I continued on with at Joe's.

Leaving Connie and Lula with all but one pizza and a six pack of beer I drove to Joe's my Ferrari now parked out front. I guess Ranger had someone deliver it to me. Conveniently I left all tracking devices affixed to Lula's car. Wanting to get lost for a while this seemed my best option. If I parked my car in Joe's garage that would give me a small window before Ranger found me. If he bothered to come looking at all. What with his _Babe_ entertaining him what did he need me for? I'm the appetizer, now he's on to the main course.

"Hey Sunshine, what brings you to my humble abode?" Joe asks as he gives up trying to restrain Bob. Bob runs passed me to do what dogs do when they find just that perfect spot for whatever needs to be gotten rid of.

"I hate to ask but, could I park my car in your garage? I'd hate for it to get a scratch." He looks at me doubtfully. Is he now able to read me like an open book too? I need sturdier dustcovers.

"Is that a Pino's pizza box I see in your hand and a six pack in the other? Who am I to deny a woman bearing gifts? Park away. Let me take these so I can set them up in the kitchen."

Joe and Bob are on their second piece of pizza. Which one has the most pizza stuffed in their mouth is a close tie. Muffled around pizza Joe says, "Sorry, I didn't get to eat lunch today. I'm starving. I know you don't like beer so I poured you a glass of wine."

I'm grateful he thought of me as being grownup enough to drink wine after my first outing with him. Tonight I planned on getting shitfaced. Who better to do it with than a nice kind man like Joe?

"Not that I don't like your company or appreciate free food but I sort of thought Ranger would have you locked up and I also kind of figured you wouldn't mind so much." He took a big bite of pizza.

"Ranger is otherwise occupied. He has been in a meeting with Stephanie. All day. He called to let me know his evening is also otherwise occupied and not to expect him home tonight." Draining my glass may not be wise on an empty stomach but what the heck. Time to live a little.

Joe chews his pizza thoughtfully. He chugs down his beer then opens another and soon that bottle is empty too. Maybe Joe needs to get shitfaced too. I could have kept the meeting to myself but Joe would have found out soon enough. Interpol should hire a few of the housewives living in Trenton, New Jersey. There would be no secrets worth guarding in the world.

Joe fills my glass with more wine, all the way to the top this time, then snags another beer for himself. Going to the fridge he takes out another six-pack Carrying those with him to the sofa he slouches down settling in for the long haul. Bringing my glass and the bottle of wine I sit down beside him ready to join his thinking about getting angry party while we get drunk. That party is well on its way.

Pounding inside my head wakes me. Soon it becomes evident it is not my head making the noise although it is pounding with every beat of my heart. There is someone at Joe's door.

Groaning I try to speak but I'm so dry my tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth. When did my tongue grow hair?

Beside me I hear a man groaning. Joe. As we both begin to wake more fully we sit up. We are in Joe's bed without a stitch of clothing on. The blankets are tossed to the floor. Articles of our clothing are thrown haphazardly around. My panties are now on Joe's bedside lamp. My bra is wrapped around his neck.

"Hey Joe, open up." Hearing the front door opening we both jump from the bed. Stephanie.

"Oh shit," Joe says turning away from me when he notices not only am I naked but he is too. The fact that we were both in his bed naked opens all kinds of canned worms.

"We can't find Racine. Ranger would like to see if you have any idea where she might be," Stephanie says sounding as if she is now climbing the stairs.

Scrambling around, we run into each other trying to find our clothes. He picks up mine, I pick up his, we exchange them then start to get dressed.

"Joe," Stephanie calls out.

"Stop," Joe yells out too late as Stephanie opens the door. Frozen with one leg in and one leg bent at the knee Joe begins to hop around trying to ram his second foot into his pant leg.

Me, I stand here like a statue with a bundle of clothes covering my private parts. I feel sick, I feel guilty, no, I feel sick, I am for sure I feel sick. Why should I feel guilty?

"What…what is going on here?" Stephanie stops asking questions with obvious answers when heavy boots are heard on the stairs. Ranger.

"Shit. If Ranger finds you here with _her_ like this he'll kill you. I want to kill you myself but I'll wait for an explanation. It isn't as if we're together or anything. It isn't like we're exclusive."

"Damn fucking straight we're not exclusive. You think I don't know about all those times you were _working_ with Ranger? Give me a break," he says angrily.

Stephanie's face turns red. Good, she does feel shame. Maybe now she'll know how Joe feels.

"If anybody has anything to hide now would be a good time. I'm coming up," Ranger says teasingly. He thinks Joe has another woman up here. He does. Ranger doesn't know the other woman is me.

"I'm on my way down. Joe isn't feeling well. We can come back later when he's feeling better." Lying is an art not soon to be lost by humanity.

"So, do the bottles lying all around have something to do with his illness? Gotta watch that Morelli. Drink makes people do stupid things." How right he is. I feel horrible and I don't even know if I have any reason to feel that way.

At least Ranger won't be arrested and sent to prison for murdering Joe. I hope that isn't the only bright spot in a day that started in the dung heap.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Friends With Guns**

**Ranger****'s POV**

I'm worried about Racine. The clever little minx removed all tracking deivices and put them on Lula's car. Imagine Lula's surprise when I snuck into her house and waited in a chair for her and Racine to get home. No Racine only Lula. Then I knew what Racine had done. I still don't know why. She'd also snuck into my parking garage and taken her Ferrari without anyone knowing. I really going to have to ask her to stop sneaking in and out of my building which is supposed to be secure. I'll also ask for her to show me how she does it. The woman has some serious wicked skills when it comes to breaking and entering. I get all hot and bothered just thinking of the skills I've experienced so far and all those she's yet to show me. I am a lucky man.

Stephanie hustles me out of Joe's faster than I wanted to be removed. I didn't miss the wine glass or the women's boots at the bottom of the staircase.

At first I thought good for Joe, he grew a pair. After catching sight of those boots and piecing together the evidence I wanted to climb back up those stairs so I could find out for myself if Rancine slept with Joe last night. If it is her, Joe's a dead man. Racine, I'm not sure how I'll deal with her. All the evidence wasn't in yet so I'm holding off judgment.

Detouring from the sidewalk I head to Joe's garage. Racine's car wasn't parked within a four block radius of Joe's house. If she was the woman upstairs I'd bet my favorite Glock her car is parked in that garage.

A black Ferrari. Racine's black Ferrari. Bloodlust, hot, mean and deadly flows through my veins. Quick steps take me back to Joe's front door. Stephanie stood in front of the door. For a split second I felt inclined to shove her aside. My mother's deeply ingrained respect for women and my personal regard for her, stopped me from acting rashly.

With deadly calm I say, "Move." She must have heard some threat in that one word because she moved aside. I kicked the door in. It wasn't locked but I felt the need to destroy something, the door seemed like the best proposition at this moment.

Morelli was at the bottom of the steps wearing only a pair of jeans. Racine had her jeans on but wore a shirt that obviously wasn't hers. My blood felt as if it was boiling in my veins.

"Look, let's talk about this rashly. I know it looks bad but nothing happened. I'm pretty sure nothing happened." Clearly the man did not know how close to death he was.

"Bastard," I said through clenched teeth. My teeth were in danger of crumbling beneath the pressure from my jaw grinding while the muscles in my face were knotted by my anger. If I clenched my fists any tighter I'd shatter my bones.

"Hey, no need for name calling," Morelli still did not seem to sense the danger coming from me. Vivid pictures of ways I could deliver the most pain while leaving little visible damage played inside my head.

"Ranger I…" Whatever Racine would have said remained unsaid as what she saw in my face kept her from speaking another word. I felt hot, dark, raging, lust for blood ready to unleash the cold blooded killer I knew I kept a tight leash on most of the time.

Taking off my utility belt I handed it to Stephanie. I don't want to shoot the bastard, I do, but I won't. I'll just beat the shit out of him until he begs for mercy. He'll want to die.

"Ready?" This will be my only warning. This fight might get brutal but it will be fair, as fair as two gladiators can be when faced off in the arena.

Morelli by this time is getting steamed up himself. He's looking from Stephanie to me. Racine is near tears. The man isn't dense. He has to know Stephanie and I have been lovers off and on. Off when they were together on when they were not. Although there were a few times I think we overlapped. Last night wasn't anything about sex between us. We kept things strictly business.

"As long as this is going to happen I'd just like to say you don't own Racine. What we did or didn't do isn't any of your business. She's free to do what she likes just like _Stephanie_ is free to do what _she_ likes. If we want to fuck our brains out we're free to do that. My question to you is, did you spend your night alone, or did you two go at it like rabbits?" Morelli says with an evil smile I am going to cram down his throat.

"Well, I for one would like to know," Stephanie says with her hands on her hips. She is looking from Morelli to Racine trying to decide which one she wants to bitch slap first. My advice is that she'll fair better with Morelli.

"Still not your business,' Morelli taunts stepping closer to Racine. Clearly he has a death wish. Racine looks as if she'd rather be anywhere but here.

"You stupid jerk. I should let him kill you," Stephanie is losing some of her affability toward Morelli.

"He might try," the fool taunts me, daring me to make a move.

"Joe, please," Racine pleads with Morelli. What puts me completely over the edge is how tenderly Morelli looks at Racine. She, damn her, looks at him with more than friendship, at least to me it seems that way.

Lunging at Morelli I ram my shoulder into his waist lifting him off the floor. Momentum takes us forward into the living room. I slam him into the wall. Before he can recover I plant my fist in his face. His grunt of pain is music to my ears. I ignore the pain shooting up my arm from the shock of my hand meeting bone. If I had control of my emotions I'd know not to fight with a clenched fist barehanded. There are more efficient moves that won't break your hand.

I feel his fist jab into my midsection. After that we traded blow for blow. I know some deadly moves, so does Morelli. I'm a trained killer he's a street fighter. We both know how to fight dirty. We could very easily kill one another. I don't know how long we fought. Eventually our exchange of blows came slower and with less force. We were both breathing heavily. At one point we both bend at our waists with our hands planted on our knees. Inhaling deeply, breathing in hurts like hell. I think I have a few broken ribs. I know Morelli does. I felt the bones give way when I punched him. at the very least we have cracked ribs.

We're about to go at it again when Racine steps in-between us. Well shit, she looks so forlorn I want to hold her but an image of her body entangled with Morelli's kills that emotional moment.

"Awe, Sunshine, I can't let you think we did something when I'm pretty sure we didn't do anything. When I get plastered to the degree I did last night I'm useless in the sack. Only for your peace of mind am I willing to admit to any shortcomings of a sexual nature," Morelli says as he reaches out to stroke his finger down her cheek.

I don't know if I believe him or not. Personally I can get it up even if I'm so shitfaced I don't know my own name. Stephanie has an incredulous look on her face that leads me to believe she knows he's telling a whopper of a lie. It's all I can do not to storm upstairs and inspect the bed sheets. My masculine pride won't let me stoop to that level. Stephanie on the other hand will go over them with a fine tooth comb. She'll pass her findings on to me. I'm not above listening to gossip when it comes to satisfying my need to know about what the hell went on last night.

Pointing to the door I say, "Go," Racine went. If she had chosen to stay here with Morelli I'm pretty sure I'd have unloaded a clip in him.

"You asshole. I spent all day yesterday talking with Ranger. I want him to help me train so I am more efficient. I know I've been bumbling along. I know the two of you have to come to my rescue more times than I like. I was going to surprise you. I'm thinking of setting up as a private investigator," she yells waving her hands around for emphasis.

"Well, you could have told me, saved me from nearly getting killed. How do you like wondering what the hell is going on, who I'm with when we aren't together?" Morelli shouts back.

"It was going to be a _surprise_. Surprise being the operative word dumbass. You are such a jerk," Stephanie says as she wipes blood from Morelli's face with a tissue.

"Yeah, I'm a jerk. Could I maybe be your jerk again? I kinda miss you. Bob misses you big time." Stephanie will fall for his line. She's been wanting him back, the stumbling block has been me trying to get in her pants and succeeding most of the time. Now I don't want to get in her pants. It would be nice but I don't want that. There is another woman driving me to distraction.

I leave Stephanie to sort out her mess. I have one of my own. She'll explain why we were together. I'm not sure if I have it in me to explain my actions to Racine. I'm not used to justifying anything to anybody. I've been my own man for so long it's second nature to keep my personal life off limits.

Taking a few calming breaths I drive away as if I'm not still madder than hell. I grip the steering wheel tightly just in case my hands try to wrap around Racine's throat. Using my rational brain cells I go back over all the evidence. I have to say Racine doesn't look like a woman who's had a wild night riding a bronco. She looks rather green like she might heave at any second.

Sniffling coming from her is pulling at my heartstrings. My anger is draining away. Alright, I admit it, I'm a sucker for a woman in tears. It gets me every time. I'm beginning to conclude Morelli didn't lay a hand on Racine other than to help her out of her clothes. I don't like that picture but it's far better than imagining what could have happened after removing her clothes.

"I'm sorry. Ranger I'm so sorry," Racine says just before she leans over throwing herself across my lap. Nearly sideswiping a car coming from the opposite direction I pull over to the curb. I have no wish to die, not before I find out if she slept with Morelli. I'm not sure it will make a difference.

Raising her up I look into her eyes filled to overflowing with tears. I want to pull her to me letting her know it will be alright. Damn it I have a right to feel angry. It's true we haven't made any declarations or even spoken about being committed. I don't do commitment. Stephanie knew that and I'm pretty sure Racine knows that.

Holding her is draining whatever anger remains. All I want to do is kiss her senseless. I want to wipe Morelli's memory away so she only knows _my_ touch, _my_ kiss. Leaning in I know I'm a goner as I take her lips in a deep kiss. I feel as if I'll die unless I taste her once more.

She doesn't smell like Morelli, not that I know how he smells. Shouldn't she at least have the scent of beer on her? Wouldn't some of his God awful after shave be clinging to her? Stephanie has told me the shower gel I use clings to her for days. Not the right moment to think of Stephanie but if it helps clarify things I can be forgiven.

"I'm an awful person. You should hate me. I hate me. I don't want Joe. I don't want to have done things with him I only want to do with you. I'm a fallen woman, a Jezebel, a woman of loose morals. How could I sleep with Joe, I don't want Joe in that way. I'm horrible; you should toss me out on the sidewalk. I should be banned from the Bat Cave." I have to admit she almost made me laugh. I did smile. As my hands roamed over her it mattered less and less what happened last night. My earlier conclusions were solidifying with each passing moment. I suspect nothing more than two people overindulging in alcohol happened last night.

"You're not an awful person or any of those other things you called yourself. You're a horrible drunk. You can't take your liquor. What do you remember?" I continue to stroke my fingers over her skin beneath her shirt, no, Morelli's shirt.

"Take it off." I don't want her to even wear his shirt. If she is going to wear anyone's shirt it will be mine. Like some caveman I want to brand her as mine so other males will know to keep off my turf.

"What?" She is kissing my neck. It's hard to think.

"Take his damn shirt off." To move things along I pull it over her head. She does have a bra on. A sexy little black number. Lucky for Morelli I think he may have been so shitfaced he won't remember if he saw her bra or what's beneath it.

He may have seen her naked this morning. That thought sets the acid in my stomach to churn out burning the lining of my stomach. Is this what the bastard felt when he thought of Stephanie with me? If he did, how'd he keep from using his gun to kill her, me, or the both of us? With my reputation he could have found a way to justify the shooting. One of his family members walking on the dark side could have gotten rid of my body leaving no trace.

"What am I going to wear?" She has her hands crossed over her breasts. She's blushing to the roots of her hair. I whip my shirt over my head then tug it down over her. There, that is much better. It's a fucking t-shirt damn it. It shouldn't be a big deal.

"What will you wear?" she asks. I reach behind the seat and grab one of the spare shirts I keep just in case someone gets stupid and throws up on me or for some unexplainable reason starts to bleed. It's happened. I put my shirt on, problem solved. I could have given her a clean shirt but I wanted my scent on her. I wanted her to think of me every time she inhaled.

"Can we go home Ranger. I really want to go home. This time I think I might just stay there forever. The world makes me do crazy things." She leans against me trustingly even after my violent display.

Forever. Do I want her forever? I know I want her right now, but forever? Thinking about her with someone else isn't pleasant. I feel the twisting in my gut. I'm feeling jealousy for the first time in my life. Before if a woman I was with had eyes for someone else I bid her good-bye without a backward glance. Most of the time I was the one finding a new conquest. There wasn't too big of gap between lovers.

Even though I told Stephanie I loved her, I still couldn't commit to her. Every time she backed off or went back to Morelli I was okay with that. My feelings didn't enter into it. I hadn't had the urge to kill Morelli like I did today, all because I feel something for Racine and I don't know how to handle it.

By the time we got back to the warehouse I'm convinced nothing happened. Even drunker than a skunk she'd remember something. Not every gory detail, but something. All she remembers is feeling sick, Morelli trying to help her up the stairs. He's drunk too so I can imagine what a comedy of errors that was. The scene isn't set for romance. It's set for an accident. Lucky one or both of them didn't fall down the stairs. I wouldn't mind Morelli falling but I think I'd hurt forever if something happened to Racine.

Her memory gets sketchy when it comes to how she got naked or maybe she's afraid I'll go off the handle again. I suspect Morelli helped her. That's not so bad. I can deal with that. It's a onetime thing. Okay, we'll wipe the slate clean. If he so much as looks at her with even a hint of anything stronger than watered down affection I'll put him in a hole where no one will find him.

I have to say over the next two days I enjoyed Racine's attempts to earn my forgiveness. I should probably tell her I've already put it all behind me. What would be the fun in that though? I like the back rubs, the candlelight dinners, the hot bath with her as my personal back scrubber. We did get sidetracked when I pulled her into the tub with me. I also like how compliant she is to my every whim in bed. She gives as good as she gets.

I'm okay with the status quo but Racine needs to know what happened with Morelli. I don't need to know any more than I know now but if it eases her mind I'm not against her calling Morelli. I have to say I am handling this pretty well. I don't even tap into her phone so I can listen to the conversation.

"Hello." Her lip is trembling. Damn it. I am such an ass. Like I said, I don't know what Morelli said but whatever it was it must have been something positive as Racine's smile lit up the whole room.

"Oh Joe, thank you so much. I don't really understand but I'll take your word for it. You have more experience than I do." A pause then, "Sure, I'll see you later."

Standing with my hands on my hips I wait for her to tell me about the enlightening conversation she had with Morelli. Racine runs to me wrapping her arms around my waist. Well damn, if I knew Morelli could inspire this sort of reaction in her I might have encouraged the phone call sooner.

"We didn't do anything. I didn't do anything. Joe said a man can tell, a woman too. He got a little tongue tied when he tried to explain how he knew. He ended up saying the evidence just wasn't there," Racine said looking confused.

"Do you know what he meant?" I sure do but how do I explain it to her? Did no one ever explain about the birds and the bees, what a man leaves behind when they climax? It's a given no sort of protection would have been used during their drunken escapade if they had done anything. There would have been evidence.

If I hadn't been out for my pound of flesh I could have told her nothing happened between her and Morelli. She's still so innocent she couldn't see the evidence or lack of it when we came back that day. We made love. Believe me, I'd have known if she'd been with another man. I inspected every inch of her thoroughly, at least three times that night then again in the morning.

Naturally as a celebratory gesture I made love to her with a new element added, I love her and I may just want to keep her forever. When Stryker gets home, beats the shit out of me, we'll have to have a man to man talk.

It's a good thing we're not in my seventh floor apartment or have any neighbors nearby. I made her purr like a well tuned engine. She roared a few times. I even have scratches on my back. I called her tiger. I think she likes that. Maybe I'll call her Tiger from now on. Her angel image is getting slightly tarnished. I've been doing most of the tarnishing. My mother always said I had a little devil in me.

Here we are tangled in bed sheets long after I should have gone to the office. It should bother me that I'm neglecting my work but I can't seem to stir up concern, I have competent people. They can run things without me for a few days. I've set it up that way in case I have to suddenly leave town without notice.

I'm wondering what everyone at the office thinks of my supposed defection from Stephanie. Everyone likes her. She amuses them mostly. I suppose she is seen as some sort of wacky relative, one you can't quite put your finger on where her place is in the family.

They don't yet know how to deal with Racine. She's intimidating without even being aware of that. Her IQ is scary shit. To be able to remember everything you see, hear or read is an advantage. I can see how others might see her as an oddity, something to fear. Things we don't understand frightens some people. Being different sets those people apart from society. No matter what they contribute they are always seen as a freak of nature. Dishonest people will take advantage of them even while fearing them.

Racine is a perfect example. Because of how she was conceived, how they brought her up, keeping her sequestered away from the world, she will be looked on as a curiosity. They'll be willing to pick her brain clean while treating her like property rather than a human being. As long as I breathe none of those bastards will touch one hair on her head again. At this moment I mean that but I am also aware that sometimes we make promises that get broken without us meaning to break them. There are too many outsiders mixed in this equation for my liking.

Finally managing to drag myself out of bed we shower and dress for work. Racine borrows one of my t-shirts. Even tucked in there is plenty of extra material. She isn't petite but she is compact.

I want to insist she go to the office with me but I don't want to sound like I'm trying to run her life. She's like most people, once the danger is gone it's back to the same old routine. I lost count of how many times I went through this with Stephanie. I'd save her butt, and then she'd get right back into the next dangerous mess. Since she won't be my top priority any more I'm glad she's taking a proactive approach to becoming a better bounty hunter. Lord knows the woman attracts death and destruction without even trying. When she puts some effort into it, well then, that's a whole other ballgame, WWIII may ensue.

"If you don't mind I'd like to go with you to RangeMan. I could help with some searches or anything else that needs an extra pair of hands." I have a few ideas how she can use her hands and they have nothing to do with work. I'm surely losing it because she looks damn sexy in the oversize shirt. Her jeans are tight showing off her long legs. When she turns I get a view of her tight butt. I do recall how my hands cradled each cheek as she rocked us both close to losing our minds.

I've almost made up my mind to persuade her we need some more rest when my phone rings. It isn't a number I recognize. In fact it doesn't look like a phone number at all.

"Yo." My typical greeting.

"Yo yourself Ranger. I was going to surprise you at your headquarters but when I took a peek in the building neither you nor Racine was there. Say, I don't mean to tell you how to run your business but I think you might want to think about putting some better security on that back bathroom window. From the looks of it I'm not the first one to use that window as a door," Stryker says rubbing it in that he got through my tight security. He'd laugh his head off if I told him Racine is the one to use that window to leave the building.

"Stryker, Racine is here with me. I had to move her into my unspecified location," I tell him so he'll know his sister is still safe and sound.

"You mean she's in _The Bat Cave_? _The_ infamous Bat Cave that no one but you knows the location of even though we've all tried to locate it?" he asks sounding awed. Whether it's fake or not, I can't say. It's a well known fact all my employees have an ongoing pool as to who can find my secret base of operations. So far there have been no winners. Racine for sure can find it. I trust her enough not to tell anyone.

"You mean even with the whole alphabet soup at your disposal you can't find me?" Since I've covered all contingencies my phone can't be traced when I'm inside this building.

"Man I've got some high tech shit here. I'm talkin' James Bond shit. I still can't locate you. Nice to know you've got Racine someplace where she's safe." I'm about to hand over my phone to Racine who's jumping around like she's standing on hot coals when Stryker speaks again. This time he's more serious mixed with a hint of threat.

"I told you Ranger, touch her and she's yours forever. Don't try to bullshit me either. You…you fornicated with her. There's only way this ends without me using you for target practice. Remember who taught you how to shoot, who taught you hand to hand. Also remember I kept the best stuff for myself." If I was a weaker man I'd be afraid. Stryker in protection mode is something very lethal. I wanted to give him shit for using the word fornicate instead of fuck but felt I needed to stay on his right side at this moment. I guess when it's your sister a guy doesn't like to use such a crass word as fuck.

"Let me speak to him. Is he close by? Is he in Trenton?" Naturally Racine is anxious to speak to her brother. I just wish he and I could talk this out before we meet.

Reluctantly I hand her the phone. I have some serious thinking to do. I'm almost sure what I want to do. It's debatable if I won't let my stubborn side keep me from doing what I really want to do if Stryker pushes me too far. I'll push back. I haven't changed my mind about letting him beat the shit out of me or trying to. Stryker wouldn't want me to stand and let him knock me around without fighting back. A match with Stryker will make the sparring Morelli and I exchanged look like love taps. I'll have to make sure neither of us ends up dead. The victor would lose Racine's respect and love. No one wants that.

When I woke this morning I had no idea I'd begin my day by making passionate love to Racine then end the day with a possible trip to the hospital. Sure glad my health premiums are up to date.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

**The Reunion**

**Racine****'s POV**

Stryker is to meet us at RangeMan. Ranger has gone quiet. This isn't his "I'm about to let loose my fists of fury" mood. He is thinking things through. I have to admit to being nervous for Stryker and Ranger to meet again. The relationship between Ranger and I is too new to label it, even if I do know I love him. There are so many things that go into a union between two people if it is to be of a long duration.

Driving down the street where the RangeMan offices are located I feel my excitement rising. It feels like such a long time since I saw my brother. It's only been a couple of months but I've changed so much, seen and done so many things. I've matured as a woman thanks to Ranger. Stryker won't want to hear about that. I am certain I don't want to discuss it either.

Stryker is leaning against a beat up Ford pickup outside the underground garage. He looks deceptively relaxed. I wish I could defuse the situation but with these two alpha males anything I say will only add fuel to the fire. It hurts me to think of them being at odds because of me. I love them both with equal ferocity for different reasons. One is my brother, the other my lover.

We drive into the underground with Stryker following on foot. Ranger has barely parked when I fly out the door into my brother's embrace. He lifts me up and whirls around much in the same way Joe does. Pushing me back so he can look at me I feel his thorough examination. I wonder what he sees. It must satisfy him because he flicks my nose with his finger and says, "Long time no see Einstein."

"It's good to see you Stryker and don't call me Einstein." I don't mind so much him calling me Einstein. I know it is said with affection not as any hurtful barb.

Ranger comes to join us. Both men are doing their best to intimidate the other with a hard, cold and enigmatic glare. Ranger breaks first perhaps as a tactic to get the upper hand. "Yo."

"Yo." This from Stryker.

"Now?" Now, what does that mean? Being all strong, silent, enigmatic and deadly may be impressive in a movie hero but not in two people I am trying to read so I know their mood.

"Yep," Stryker says.

They head toward the elevators. The doors almost close before I realize I've been left standing alone. I'd been distracted trying to decipher their one word communication. Frustrating as hell is putting it mildly.

We get off upstairs and head for Ranger's office. There is silence from everyone. Hands are poised above computer keys, monitors go unnoticed as they watch Ranger and Stryker walk down the hallway with me trailing after them. I am almost positive they will have a pool going the moment we are in Ranger's office. They'll be betting on whether there will be a fight and who will win it if there is one. Those men bet on everything. I'm too afraid to ask what pools they have going concerning me.

Without warning I am pushed into Ranger's office. The door closes behind me. I hear a key turning in the lock. I'm so baffled by what happened it is hard to gather words to speak my runaway thoughts.

"Racine, we're sorry. We don't want you getting hurt trying to come in-between us. I promise I won't damage him too badly," Stryker speaks through the door.

"Damage me my ass. I'll wipe the floor with you without breaking a sweat. I can recommend a good doctor," Ranger says with male arrogance.

By this time I'm so angry with both of them I give a frustrated reply of, "I don't care what the two of you do. Bash one another to within an inch of your lives. Beating your hard stubborn heads may rattle some working brain cells so you may be able to see how infantile this is. Let me out at once."

"Sorry Einstein. This is something a man just has to do. I won't mess up his face. He'll look just as ugly as he does now," Stryker says sounding as he is enjoying himself.

Ranger mumbles something too low for me to hear it all clearly. I hear my name and the word sister then something about me not minding something. It sounded innocuous but it must have been something Stryker took exception too because he gave a loud curse, "You son-of –a-bitch."

I heard a roar then the door nearly splintered as the weight of both men slammed into it. Grunting, the sound of blows landing on flesh, objects being knocked off walls and furniture being destroyed as the two combatants traded blows replaces the earlier silence. That's what I heard with my ear pressed to the door. As the fight moved down the hallway the sounds got lower.

From the sounds of the other voices Ranger's men were doing nothing to stop the fight. Their shouts of encouragement is because they have bets on who will win, quite possibly how long it will take and whether one knocks the other out cold. Men are such barbarians at times. Give them the proper setting and all civility is shed like a winter coat off a wolf.

Knowing how skilled both men are I fear for both of them. This sort of violence is exactly why I'll not be revealing my secrets to anyone. The formulas, the designs of prototypes for weapons of mass destruction will remain locked away inside my mind. The world isn't ready for the things I've created. Many of them aren't needed for survival anyway. I was deluded into believing I developed this technology for the greater good. I am not their puppet any longer. I'll die before I let anyone have this information, especially The Company.

After what seemed like hours but in reality was only about ten minutes Ranger unlocked the door. His face had streaks of blood. He was holding his ribs, the ones we just bandaged because of his fight with Joe. His knuckles were bleeding and beginning to swell. Stryker came up behind him looking similar to Ranger as far as bodily harm went. They both had smiles on their faces if a slight twitch at the corner of their mouth can be called a smile.

Stryker puts his arm around Ranger and says, "So, where's the best beer joint in this city? I could go for a juicy burger too. I've been living on a hobo diet the last month or so. I couldn't even afford a descent car. Did you see that piece of shit I had to drive? I'm lucky I didn't end up walking."

"You could have used some of the money. You know I'll never spend it all. I don't even want it. What's mine is yours," I say going to my brother to give him a big hug. He doesn't deserve my sympathy but how can I stay mad at him?

"Awe Einstein, I don't want the money either. All I ever wanted was you. I want a family, one that stays around for all the messy day to day stuff." For Stryker that is a vulnerable admission. He likes to portray this hard as nails super spy not needing anyone. I know differently. Family, connecting with others, having a sense of normalcy in his life drove him to find me.

Giving him another hug I say, "I know you don't want it, I'm giving it to you. What you do with it is your business. Ask Ranger where he gets his fleet of unending cars._ Someone_ gets one blown up another magically takes its place." Okay, so I sounded bitchy. I am still not over Stephanie and Ranger being intimate. I'm jealous. Green-eyed, scratch her eyes out jealous.

I glared at Ranger daring him to remind me of my own car being blown up. It's not the same thing, not the same thing at all. In my case it wasn't because of my ineptitude or careless actions. Even when I made my bid for independence I still listened to his advice. What he offered seemed like sound advice. I had all the proper tools as well as every device Ranger could think of on my cars. It wasn't enough. Sometimes there is one tiny detail missed when viewing the whole picture.

A dilemma arose because I wanted Joe to meet Stryker. It would seem petty to invite Joe and not Stephanie. Setting my personal feelings aside I gave Joe a call inviting him and Stephanie to meet us at O'Malley's Bar and Grill. Since this was Stryker's first day back in the RangeMan group of Merry Men I included everyone who worked with my brother when Ranger was his employer. The term Merry Men was apt for some not so much for some of the others. Lula and Connie put their heads together to come up with a name for the troop of men at Stephanie's disposal with Ranger's blessing. This also bothers me even though it is another of those worrisome things that happened before Ranger and I met.

As we are about to leave Ranger tosses Stryker a set of keys pointing to a black SUV, "It's yours for as long as you need it. You break it you bought it."

"From what I hear Stephanie Plum broke at least a fleet of vehicles and the only payment I know of is…" Stryker stops as Ranger gives him one of those looks only someone well versed in reading facial features can read. It was a look filled with unspoken threats and a lot of cursing if it was verbalized.

"Well fuck. I didn't mean...Look I'm…Just fucking forget I opened my fucking mouth." Ah, Stryker verbalized using his gutter language for emphasis.

"God damn it! I was doing so good too this last week not using curse words. I get here and all my fucking good intentions go out the window. Shit!"

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. Stryker looked so put out about cursing even while using the same foul words he wished to avoid. It's time he learned I'm not some child in need of protection from the unsavory side of life.

"It's alright Stryker. I'm aware Ranger and Stephanie had a sexual relationship. I'm a big girl. I know about what goes on between women and men. The woman you eventually marry will have to overlook quite a list of bed hopping bunnies from what you've told me. Ranger's still a man in his prime, with a certain sexual magnetism women are drawn to. I would say his virility is no less than yours. Would you forgo sex until you meet someone special, not that I think I'm anyone special in Ranger's life," I say trying to save myself from sounding as if I expect some declaration from Ranger.

Now both Ranger and Stryker are looking as if they'd rather be anywhere but here. If I could crawl away with a modicum of dignity I would. Trying to speak of Ranger and Stephanie's relationship like an adult leaves me wanting to do some physical damage of my own. Primal instincts I understand, not from having experienced them myself but from studying them over the years. All this wanting to pull someone's hair out or scratch her eyes out is all new.

To save us all further embarrassment I say lightly, "Let's get this fucking party started."

Stryker chuckles as he says, "I knew this guy would be a bad influence on you. Spend enough time with him he'll have you cussing like a good Marine should. Those pussy sailors can't fucking do anything right without a good Marine giving him directions."

He slaps Ranger on the shoulder as Ranger says, "Damn straight." They do a hand grab shoulder bump thing then we load up and drive away.

Joe and Ranger avoid each other by mutual consent. Stephanie is subdued which is unusual for her from what Joe has told me about her. I can't help but notice the number of times her glance lands on Ranger. If he returns her glances I haven't caught him doing so. He seems to be relaxed not concerned about Stephanie being with Joe.

A big buxom waitress comes to our table ready to take our order. It is gratifying to see Ranger ignore her obvious attempts to get him to look down her low cut tank top. Breasts that are no doubt surgically enhanced are all but falling out of her skimpy top. Joe gets an eyeful as she bends over pretending to point out a special on the menu. I think she has him as her special on her own menu. Whether on accident or on purpose Stephanie's glass of water gets knocked off the edge of the table drenching our waitress from her thigh down.

"You bitch! You did that on purpose," the woman screamed.

"It wasn't my fault. I think this table leans downhill and the condensation collected on the table top causing the glass to slide to the edge," Stephanie offers looking completely sincere. If I hadn't seen her nudge the glass with her hand I might have believed her. Well, now she knows how it feels to watch as another woman all but pounces on the man you care about. This woman hadn't jumped Joe's bones doing a hot mambo dance number all over him. Hard as I try I can't keep images of Ranger and Stephanie from cropping up now and then making me want to do evil things to the woman I can't help but see as a rival no matter if she's back with Joe or not. That didn't stop her from enjoying all Ranger had to offer these last few years.

With those thoughts running around inside my head I lean into Ranger. Dropping my hand beneath the table I let it land on his thigh. Perhaps it landed a little closer to his crotch than I intended because he did give a startled jerk. I suppose he appreciated my bold gesture as he put his arm around my shoulder then leans over to nuzzle the back of my ear. It's a good thing Stryker is preoccupied with a cute young thing sitting at a table with several other young women. She's giving him a shy smile with a touch of fluttering lashes. Stryker will eat her alive if only half his escapes with women are true.

Five minutes of exchanging speculative glances Stryker makes his move. I wish I could be a fly nearby so I could hear what they said. I need all the Intel I can gather if I'm to keep Ranger's interest. I'm afraid he'll grow tired of my naiveté.

Whatever Stryker said appeared to work for the young woman got up so he could escort her to our table. We moved around to make room for another chair. As he held her chair he introduced his new friend, "Everyone this Dawn Michaels. Dawn everybody."

Another round of drinks was ordered and drank. I stuck with Pepsi after one glass of wine. I didn't want to wake up tomorrow and learn I'd done a strip tease on the table top. I already had enough to live down because of drinking alcohol. I noticed Ranger nursed the one beer only taking small sips now and then. It didn't escape my notice he kept looking around the room especially in the darker corners. Our backs were to the wall. Ranger and I are on one side with Stryker beside me against the wall to my left. This is a strategy to protect your back while being able to see all around you.

Around midnight we ready to call it a night. Stryker and Dawn were going out for a late night burger. Joe and Stephanie…well from the way they were kissing and touching we all knew what they were going to do. Ranger rubbing my back with a light touch indicated perhaps I knew how the rest of our night would go.

Stryker and Ranger went through the door first. They looked around checking to make sure no one suspicious lurked outside. Just as we joined them, a bullet whizzed by Stryker's head. It came from somewhere above us. Ranger crouched down reaching back to me. Taking his hand he pulled me with him behind a car.

Joe and Stryker did the same with the two women. Everyone had a gun except for Stephanie. Joe turned to her with a look that asked where the hell is your gun? Defensively she said, "Well how was I to know we'd be hit by a mad rooftop assassin?"

"You know what Cupcake? I'm not going to give you a hard time. You're right. No one should have to carry a gun to feel safe. Dinner out shouldn't come with a side of gunplay," he says as he removes a small pistol that he had strapped to his ankle. He's off duty so he didn't have his usual gun holstered at his waist.

"I think I must be delirious. Joe I'm Always Right Morelli just admitted he was wrong," Stephanie teased. We could all appreciate Joe's moment of growth if we weren't under fire from some lunatic out to kill us. I've noticed some people make inappropriate jokes when they're nervous. It's a way to cope. Me, I try to think of ways to knock the stuffing out of my protagonist.

Our moment of levity got cut short by another volley of quick gunfire. We returned fire but we didn't have a high powered rifle like the mystery man had. To make matters worse a couple cars came barreling down the street then stopped with a screeching of brakes right in front of where we were hunkered down.

Four men got out with some serious fire power. They also had gas masks on. That could only mean one thing, we were about to be bombarded with smoke bombs. A fifth guy came out of the store next to the restaurant. I hoped he hadn't killed the owner or any of his customers.

Our bullets seem to bounce right off our attackers. They must be wearing some heavy duty anti-assault suits. Two bombs land right in the middle of us filling the air with an acrid smoke causing my eyes to water and my throat to burn. Breathing became harder as more smoke swirled around from a third bomb. Being outside I guess they didn't want to chance the wind blowing their cover away with the breeze.

If they come within striking distance we'll have a chance. They realize this for they are keeping their distance while the smoke does its job of blinding us. By now we are all coughing. Even with handkerchiefs the men have it isn't enough to keep from breathing in the chemical from the bombs.

I hear a grunt then hands are grabbing me, pulling me away from Ranger's side. I can see a couple men hitting him with the butt ends of their rifles. Joe and Stryker are both fighting off attackers of their own. Stephanie and Dawn jump on the backs of the assailants wrapping their arms around the men's necks. They are tossed off

as if they were pesky children romping in a schoolyard. They hit the sidewalk with a thud. Neither woman is getting back up. I can only hope they are only winded or knocked out and not seriously hurt.

The last thing I hear is a bullet whizzing beside my ear to travel in a straight line hitting Ranger in the shoulder. A prick of a needle is a prelude to fog which gives way to total blackout. I'm down for the count.

Nausea hits me as my senses begin to return. I'm in what I assume is the trunk of a car. My hands and feet are tied. At least my head is clearing. I don't feel any after affects from inhaling the smoke. Gradually my brain begins to function. Assessing the situation I conclude the situation is dire but not impossible to make a recovery. It's all a matter of timing.

They may torture me but they won't want to kill me before they get all the information I have. If I have to die to keep it from getting into the wrong hands then I'll die knowing I at least got to know my brother and to love Ranger.

The vehicle stops, I hear doors opening, a click then the trunk opens. All I see is men standing over me like dark angels from hell. Their weapons are pointed at me. Fear, something I haven't experienced to the degree of self-preservation kicking in, now has my pulse racing, sweat beginning to coat my skin.

"Tonight we have fun bitch. Tomorrow, you die. After we get through with you, you'll beg us to let you tell us all we want to know. I hope you got to kiss lover boy goodbye as our orders are to kill them all."

He looked at his watch as he said, "Guess they're dead. That fucking brother of yours will get special attention. He's caused The Company a lot of grief. They want some payback. Tonight you will get to meet your masters. They want to see their property before we begin our interrogation. I'm looking forward to that. I owe you for what you did to me in the theater. I have to say you impressed me bitch. Can't say I care for the company you keep. A black whore for a friend and a Cuban lowlife greasing his hard on inside you, it's enough to make a person sick. He's garbage, something I wipe off the bottom of my shoe. Tonight we'll show you what the right kind of man can do."

They take off their masks. I look at each one burning their images into my brain. No matter how long I live I will know their faces. In a perfect world I'd get the chance to kill them one by one. They are bigoted uneducated thugs. Who are they to judge who I befriend or who I choose as a lover? Ranger and Lula are worth a hundred of these moronic, prejudiced, idiots. I do think I hate them.

With an angry grunt I lunged up as best I could. I only succeeded in getting my head hit with a rifle butt. If I ever get the chance to escape this man will be the first to die.

I feel a sadness as I realize how much I'll miss if my life ends tonight. What gives me the greatest sadness is I never told Ranger how I feel or got to hear him say the words I love you. Stupid pride kept me from being the first to declare how I felt as Ranger is not an easy man to read or love. I let fear of him not returning my love keep me from saying those words to him. Now, when it may be too late I want to shout them from the rooftops. I want the world to know I, Racine Howard, love Ricardo Carlos Manoso also known as Ranger. If I am to die it will be with his name on my lips, my last thoughts will be of him and how we made love.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

**The Rescue**

**Ranger****'s POV **

Looking at the carnage I can't help but blame myself. I should have known better than to go someplace so open to attack. Things wouldn't have gone so wrong if Drake Maroni hadn't showed up with several of his hired guns. We were outnumbered and out gunned. By sheer luck we managed to get away with only a few injuries. I'd rather suffer multiple gunshot wounds than have Racine be taken by those lowlife degenerates.

We were firing our last rounds when the cavalry arrived. I felt useless as I watched our assailants hop in their cars making a clean getaway. I hadn't been able to see what car they put Racine in. One moment I felt her beside me the next thing I knew she was gone as if she vanished into thin air. My arms already feel empty, my gut is twisting in knots.

Several police cars were followed by other emergency vehicles. The firemen went to work putting out the fires from the burning cars that were riddled with bullet holes.

The EMTs wanted to take me to the hospital but I didn't want to waste time being treated in a hospital when I could get stitched up here. The bullet took a chunk out of my leg. It hurts like hell but I have use of my leg. Nothing vital was hit. I lost a little blood. I'll mend. Racine doesn't have much time. I know it, Stryker knows it. We both want to get our hands on those fuckers. I know what I'll do to them; it isn't going to be pretty. What Stryker can and will do to them is best not thought on too hard. He has some scary skills that even scares the shit out of me.

Every person Stephanie passed she made a point to tell them none of this was her doing. It had nothing to do with her. This time the line of cars shot to pieces by high powered weapons wasn't her fault, it was mine. I let my emotional attachment to Racine blind me to everything else.

Stryker paced around with a phone glued to his ear getting all the Intel he could from every resource he had. Every once in a while he would stop to kick the shit out of something in his way. I know how he feels. I want to get my hands on the fuckers who took Racine. They'll pay, if not by my hand then by Stryker's. It's a matter of who gets there first.

Everyone is giving both of us a wide birth. Even Joe is grim. We will regroup then put every resource we have into finding Racine. When we do we won't leave a single one of those men alive. If Joe has a problem with that Stryker and I may have to persuade him to stay home when we make our move.

Stephanie must have invited Lula to join us because she was in her Firebird parked down the street when we exited the bar. Hearing all the commotion and hearing shots pinging she burst out of her car gun drawn firing indiscriminately. It's a good thing she wasn't aiming in our direction. She's a terrible shot but even she gets lucky once in a while.

She'd emptied her clip, and then charged forward, waving her big purse round and round at her side like a windmill. Jumping into the fray with more gusto than actual help she did manage to distract them long enough for us to get in a few good punches. Our rescuers arrived just in time to save us from getting killed.

When Tank arrived with some of the others I took my frustration and anger out on them. I couldn't get at the assholes I really want to put in the ground so I unload on Tank.

He let me rant while the EMT stitched me up. The EMT hadn't wanted to do it but I guess I sort of made a suggestion how I'd rearrange his face if he didn't patch me up. Guess he took me at my word because I'm almost as good as new. I'll see a doctor once Racine is safe and sound, back in my arms where she belongs.

Thinking what might be happening to her won't help me find her. I can't let emotions rule my head right now. There's too much at stake.

Hal told us someone had taken down a few telephone poles. The poles fell into the street blocking the roadway. It took several of them to lift it out of the way. Traffic had backed up so they couldn't reverse. It was forward by foot or remove the obstacle blocking them.

We'll be tied up with red tape for longer than we can spare. Stryker uses a few of his contacts to take the heat off us so we can regroup and form a plan. Stryker looks like a wild man. He looks like he's about to go Rambo on somebody. He does seem to calm down when Dawn grabs his sleeve and speaks to him. I can't hear what she says but it calms Stryker down enough for him to take a deep breath so the blood lust is knocked down a couple notches.

I have to keep reminding myself that Racine is an intelligent and resourceful woman. I know she won't give them what they want. I also know by what methods they'll try to extract that info from her. Stryker and I have firsthand knowledge how ruthless certain factions can be to their captives. I know how I escaped and it isn't something I like to dwell on. I have no idea what all Stryker suffered before he made his own escape. We were held on opposite sides of the encampment.

Human life has value. I value my own life as well as others. The road comes to a fork when someone disregards God's commandments and societies laws. I'll fight to the death to defend what I believe to be just. Come for me and mine and you open up a giant can of whoopass.

"Ranger, I'd be obliged if you'd let me borrow a few weapons from that stockpile I know you have hidden. I could go to the streets but that might take longer than I can spare. I also think the locals may be reluctant to deal with me as that fucker Maroni probably has the word out that anyone caught fraternizing will be dealt with extreme prejudice," Stryker says with amazing calm. Anyone who knows him will see the almost undetectable signs he's a hairsbreadth from declaring all out war. He's calmed down or so one would assume from the steady tone in his voice.

I suppose this means he intends to go after Racine on his own. So much for doing this as a team effort. He always has been a bit of a lone wolf. He isn't thinking clearly. Does he think I could stay behind while those degenerates have Racine?

"I'll let you have what you want but know this, I'm in on any rescue operation." I am trying to say I love her without saying the words aloud. I've said those words to Stephanie and I did mean them at the time. I still have affection for her, I may even love her. I'm just not in love with her in the same way I am with Racine. Every breath I take, every beat of my heart is for Racine. I don't even want to think about life without her.

"All this G.I. Joe shit is fun to see in movies but in real life I'm the G.I. Joe. I'm the law. If we do this we do it legally," Morelli says then pauses to look around at the street that now looks like any street you'd see in parts of the world where gunfire is a way of life. Grim lines form on his face his mouth tightens and his jaw clenches. He's pissed.

"Giving our recent Fourth of July display, maybe we can move the line of legality a smidgen off center. I'm tired of arriving at a crime scene with bodies covered in blood because that fucker Maroni or someone like him is trying to muscle in on the present assholes running the crime scene. I'm sick of making arrests only to have them get off on a technicality. Count me in on whatever we need to do to get this done." Morelli is risking his career if he falls in with our plans. Without a doubt we'll have to deal with this criminal element in terms they understand. This will get messy.

"Okay. I've had time to calm down and think rationally. I can call in a couple of favors. I know some people who have their fingers on the pulse of all the criminal activity. Best not to ask what they use this information for or how they get it as then they might have to kill you. You might say they're deep, deep covert operations, so deep the government denies any knowledge of such operations. The government has total deniability."

Stryker is now in full 007 mode. How deep his cover has been at times I don't know. What I do know is he disappears off the face of the planet then reappears just after some world event takes place. He claims his _vacations_ to be coincidental with these events. Since he left my security firm to take up a mysterious offer from some unspecified agency it is a safe bet Stryker is part of one of the alphabet soup agencies run by the government, most likely one no one knows about except those directly involved.

Back at RangeMan we coordinate our strategy. Stryker is able to get access to a satellite that will give us feed showing everything down to ants crawling on an anthill. It doesn't take long to find where Maroni took Racine. Although we don't see her we do see the men who took her. All we had to do is follow the route the cars took.

It takes a few minutes to find the plans for the warehouse Maroni is using as his base of operations. I want to throw something when I learn he is only one building away from my own Bat Cave. At the time that building went on the market I thought I was playing it cool by acting as though I had no interest in buying it. The seller sold it to the first bidder offering an extra hundred thousand. When I checked, the owner that came up is from some New York investment firm. Now I'm wondering if it belongs to the conglomerate wanting to pick Racine's brain.

For once I am on Morelli's side when he gives Stephanie strict orders to stay put. The less we have to worry about the better. Stryker tells Stephanie that she and Lula will be needed if something goes wrong. The authorities will have to be called if it looks like we aren't going to make it. Everyone has a radio that will allow us to communicate with one another plus Stephanie can remain at RangeMan with Lula and monitor what is going on. Lula I'm pretty sure will spend her time snooping in places I'd rather she not see.

Grimly we gear up. They know we're coming but even so they won't be prepared for what we have in mind. Stryker is as good as having three highly trained men. Not to brag but I'm pretty capable myself. I'm not fond of Navy guys but if we have to bring one along I guess I'm glad it's Morelli.

We can't storm in guns blazing without knowing exactly where Racine is being kept. I have equipment for thermal imaging. Mine isn't high tech as what the government uses but it works, you just have to be closer to your subject.

I want to be the one rescuing Racine but our odds are better if we all three go in. Everyone else will be outside waiting for our signal to come in. That won't happen until one of us has Racine out of the hands of her captures. Once that is done those assholes better have made peace with God because they'll be making a trip across the River Styx.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

**Rock and Roll**

**Racine****'s POV **

I felt the prick of a needle then hard hands grabbed me. Even without being able to see I knew I'd been ripped away from Ranger. For one instant he let go of me to reload, that's all it took for them to rip me away from his side. I let my guard down, for only an instant but that was enough. I was worried about Ranger.

The drug worked too quickly for me to fight back. Thrusting me into what I believe is a trunk doesn't give me any opportunity to see landmarks or anything that might help with being able to know where they are taking me or knowing my final destination when we get there. I search for the tracking device I had on a chain around my neck. One of Ranger's 007 toys. My fingers come up empty.

Mapping in my mind I list every turn, stop and sound. This will help me find my way back if I am able to escape. I'm almost certain Stryker and Ranger will rescue me before any plan of action I may plan will be needed. Just in case I'll be prepared. Knowing my brother he won't sleep, eat or focus on anything until I am safely returned into his care. I'd like to think the same of Ranger. I do know he cares I'm just not certain it's enough to overcome his fear of commitment. That's how befuddled my mind is, I'm locked in a trunk with crazy power mad people about to pick my brain and I'm concerned because Ranger can't commit. His being committed or not has not one damn thing to do with him rescuing me. He'll come. I know he will and when he does I want a front row seat at the butt whooping he's going to dish out.

The drug they gave me is wearing off or it may be something I have a tolerance for. I now know why I had a regimen of shots with unspecified drugs in them. They were testing my tolerance and endurance. They wanted to see how much they could give me and still have me functioning. Recalling the number of dosage increases I must have tolerated many of their drugs fairly well as I don't recall being unable to function at my full capability.

I feel the car slowing. Then it stops with the motor off. Hearing voices coming nearer the rear of the car I get ready to kick up with my bound feet. At least I'll give one of them a bad day. If I get my hands and feet untied they won't know what devil came to get them.

A very ugly man peers in at me then grins. Reaching in his hands to pull me out I surprise him with a hard kick to his face. Hearing his grunt of pain is satisfying for only a few seconds as Maroni appears in my line of vision.

"And now you know Trunk not to get too close to her feet or hands even if she's tied up. Once we have her restrained in a chair well…You can have all the fun you like. Nothing too drastic as I've got plans for this little beauty."

Turning toward the man called Trunk Maroni says, "Get the tranquilizer gun. That way she won't be able to hurt your pretty face again. Not too much. I want her awake and talking later."

I hear a click, feel the sting of the dart in my arm then I am falling into a void. Vaguely a thought comes that if I can get them to shoot me several times I may build up a resistance to this drug. It's worth a shot.

Head swimming, body feeling disconnected from my brain, I try to clear the fog. I don't know what they gave me this time but it feels more potent or maybe it's something my body hasn't developed a resistance to.

Coming around more fully I jerk my hands and feet. Each ankle is tied to the front leg of the chair I am sitting in. My arms are tied to the armrests. I am so mad I could spit, preferably in someone's eye.

There is activity all around me. I can hear it but can't see it as my eyes are blinded by a cloth hood over my head. Sensory deprivation. That is a usual tactic for gaining information from prisoners. If deprived long enough of stimuli a person can lose hold of reality.

I could tell them but I won't that as part of my training my so called parents placed me in a sensory deprivation tank for days at a time once they found I tolerated a few hours. Slowly over time my stints in the chamber grew longer in duration.

They were partially disappointed I think that I didn't crack but in the end were glad of the results as I am sure it earned them praise from the people with the power to shape the world to their liking.

Right now I can't let myself go down that road of regret for all my years of gullibility. I have to stay focused and wait for any slip on their part to make a bid for freedom.

Several cars arrive. I can detect different motors. I guess there are three. The voices are heavily accented. German I think. A few others I can't hear clearly enough to guess.

I know for sure there are Americans among this group other than Maroni's and his henchmen. I've already catalogued their voices and committed them to memory. I want to make sure I can recall every detail for when they are put on trial, assuming Stryker and Ranger don't kill them that is. I'm sure I'd feel bad if they don't bring my captors to justice but instead kill them. I'd like to think if they have a choice they will not take a life.

Over the next few hours I change my mind. In fact I'd like to put a bullet in them all just after I kick the shit out of them or put those jumper cables on them like they did me. Electic shocks hurt like hell. As side note I'm worried they will singe my hair or burn it so badly I end up bald. A bald girlfriend isn't something I want as a test of Ranger's regard. I for damn sure don't want to be a bald corpse.

I'm now hanging from a chain with a big hook at the end. With a rope tied around my wrists and draped over the hook every time I relax to relieve the cramps in my toes and legs the rope tightens causing my hands to go numb. Stretching up on my toes relieves some of the pressure. I feel the sting of the blood flow. Of course this brings back the cramps in my toes and legs.

It is all part of the breaking down the captive's spirit. Days of this on a 24/7 basis can break down the best trained soldier.

Too keep me off balance they intermingle brief moments when someone kindly offers me water. I drink greedily. Then they offer me all the water, food and rest I want if only I will tell them what they want to know.

From then on I refuse all water. I'll die before I give them even a small portion of my freewill. I won't crack. If need be I can take myself to another place in my mind where none of this can touch me.

After the first day I lose track of day and night. Time doesn't matter. Everything I have I must use to bare the torture.

If they thought bringing in the Crawfords would win me over they know me less than I thought. They are not my parents. I will not even grace a thought with their names other than Crawford. They mean nothing to me other than the two people I'd like to deal with personally.

It's hard to keep believing anyone will come for me when the seconds tick by only bringing more of the same pain I've endured since I came fully awake. Plans must be made, an operation set in motion, weapons to amass, this all takes time. From what I hear I don't think I have too much time left. If I don't tell them what they wish to know I am to be given over to Maroni to do with as he pleases.

My stomach heaves at the very thought of him touching me in any intimate way. I would just as soon die. Rather death be my fate than any man touch me other than Ranger. I lose focus for a few minutes thinking of Ranger and how he will mourne me perhaps blame himself for not saving me. Poor Stryker will be beside himself. He only just returned and now this. He too will blame himself for letting someone so vile take me. It isn't anyone's fault other than the evil minds perpetrating this horrible crime. If I give in and let them have what they want it will be a crime against all of humanity and I won't be a party to that.

During my next round of torture one of the men gets careless. I manage to lift a knife from the sheath buckled around his waist. I let him ogle my breasts as a means to distract him. Now I have a weapon either to aid in my freedom or end my life. Whatever happens I must not give in. I must stand strong.

Time runs in on itself as I lose track of how often I am hoisted then hooked up to the battery. They have taken to wetting the me down and the concrete beneath my feet. If I could not find Ranger inside my mind it is likely I'd have used the knife within the first hour after taking it. As long as I can bring Ranger here so he can hold me as he whispers encouragement I will hang on.

I am being dragged from the room where I am kept when not being questioned. One of Maronie's men is literally dragging me across the concrete floor. I can feel my skin being scrapped off by the rough surface of the warehouse floor. I know it must hurt but since my body is one huge glob of throbbing flesh it is hard to feel something so minor as skin being sanded off while being dragged across the floor. Maybe I've become numb to this type of pain. Are my nerves so damaged I can't feel external pain? No, that can't be right as it hurts something awful when they begin shocking me again.

"Please dear, why be so stubborn? Do you think we enjoy doing this? For all our sakes just give us what we want then everyone can go about their business. Wouldn't you like to return to that man Ranger? I'll bet your brother is eager to have you back. Why torture those you love just because you're too stubborn to give us some information that is useless to you but very important to us?" This is the woman I used to call mother. Now, I prefer not to think of her at all.

"If I must die then die I will but you can be certain I won't be telling you anything. You have no power over me anymore. I know who and what you are. I know what you made me but through knowing Stryker I became something you never anticipated, I became a woman with a mind of my own. I now make my own choices and I do not choose to let you pick and choose who shall live and who shall die." As the cables near me I go to Ranger inside my mind. There he will hold me in his arms for as long as I need him. There I am safe. They may do what they will to my body but my mind shall remain in my control.


	18. Chapter 18

**Warning: Violence. Death. **

**A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait. I just have too many irons in the fire right now. Still worried about where I'm going to live. Haven't got a place to go other than the drafty old farmhouse. **

**Hey, I shouldn't complain. I have it better than a lot of people. **

**I hesitated putting this chapter up as it has violence. Coming so soon after our nation's recent tragedy I held off. Hope it doesn't offend anyone. **

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Rock and Roll**

**Ranger****'s POV **

Too long. It took too fucking long to get this together. If left to me and Stryker we'd have gone in with what we had. As it is cooler heads prevailed. We were forced to grab some shuteye in order to be able to give our best when the time came to mount our attack.

Gearing up we are all silent. Each with our own thoughts. We have already made our plan of attack and studied blueprints so we'll know the layout of the building where they are holding Racine. Looks easy enough but then I've learned the hard way not to take things for granted. After we have Racine everyone else will come in hot and hard. Take no prisoners. I want to shut these fuckers down.

Waiting for dark isn't easy knowing what Racine might have to suffer during those long waiting hours. After a lifetime of waiting the time for action arrives. We can't go right up to the building they are occupying so we'll go up to the roof of the building half a block down and then cross over the roofs of the two buildings between using zip lines. Joe and Stryker are scaling down the outside until they reach the upper level windows. They'll use glass cutters to get in. I'm climbing down the outside airshaft.

I could use the stairs but there is a risk of someone coming up to the roof for a smoke or any number of things.

Shooting the hook up it catches and holds. Pulling down it feels secure. I give them the thumbs up. One by one we climb upward. We use hand signals to communicate. Once in the building their will be radio silence until Racine is located.

Using the small screwdriver I brought with me I remove all the screws to the cover over the airshaft. After removing the cap I lower myself down. I'll be climbing down with one hand and foot on opposite walls. If I make one mistake I plummet to the bottom of the shaft.

Moving one slow inch at a time seems too slow but that's the way it has to be. I can't chance using a rope to scale down in case someone discovered it an alerted everyone to our presence. Painstakingly I alternate feet and hand movement. Actually I made my descent in good time. It seemed to take a lifetime.

Coming to the end of the shaft I have to find a vent that leads to the main section of the building. They'll probably keep her in a room somewhere secluded but bring her to the center of the space so they can put her on display for those assholes who think they're bigger than God. I don't think they know just how capable Racine's three rescuers are. It's a given they don't know much about Stryker. All they know about me is I sometimes work as a bounty hunter and own a security firm. Joe is merely a cop or so they think. I can't imagine they did a background check on him like Stryker and I did.

Using the small can of spray lubricant I back the screws out of the vent so I can drop down in one of the rooms used as office space when the place was a working business. This is the second floor. There are a couple of men standing guard. I'll have to make my move quickly so neither man has time to sound the alarm.

Grabbing the knife from my boot I throw it hitting the man on the right at the base of his skull. Rushing forward I use my arm to strangle the second man before he has time to react. Dragging their bodies to a storage closet will insure they aren't discovered before we're ready. When I left the service I put away my more lethal skills. Now they are back with a vengeance. I don't enjoy killing and only ever did so when I had no other choice. Now, I have no choice.

Crouching low I make my way along the upper floor along the rail. I can see everything below me clearly. Midway down the walkway glancing over the rail I see Racine in a chair with a couple of men tormenting her. At the moment I think it is only verbal but from her bruised face and arms it is safe to say they made use of torture. Her clothing is torn. Just behind them there is a chain fastened to a beam. On the floor is a battery with jumper cables. My blood runs cold then hot as I know what these items are used for in a situation like this. Back in captivity this method was used to try to make us betray our country. Only the strongest can survive it without bowing to the masters of pain. I never bowed. I'm pretty sure Racine won't either which means they will kill her or worse, use her then kill her.

One of the men says something that makes Racine raise her head. I can't be certain but I think she sees me. Her demeanor does not change nor does she look my way again. The taller of the two men leans down getting right in her face. I can't make out what he's saying but it must be something that pissed her off because she brings her foot up and kicks him right in the family jewels. She follows that up by standing taking the chair with her. Using it as a weapon she twists to the side knocking the second man on his ass.

This is our cue. I hope the others are in place because it's now or never. Shouts are coming from some room off to the side. Out comes Drake Maroni followed by some well dressed people I assume are the assholes trying to take over the world. More importantly they are the ones who hurt the woman I love. They'll pay for that.

I see a flash down on the right. It's Stryker. From the other side Joe comes out firing. Climbing on the rail I jump down on top of two men. They won't be coming around anytime soon. They're lucky I have other fish to fry or I'd take some of my aggression out on them.

I don't know how she did it but Racine manages to free her hands. A flash of metal in her hand is a clue. Somehow she got her hands on a knife. Clever girl. Free now she's kicking the shit out of the man who got in her face. Whatever he said sure pissed her off.

Rushing forward I lend a hand although judging by what I just saw there really isn't any need but hey, I'm the type of guy who likes to be a hero, I'm fucking Batman for Christ's sake.

Joe and Stryker are taking out men as they advance on us. Bullets are flying in every direction. Crouching down back to back, Racine and I assess our best move. Racine taps me on the arm then points in the direction of the front door. There are three people making a run for it. The one I recognize as Maroni. He's all mine. I'm guessing the other man and woman are Racine's parents. She shouts, "I'm going after them".

I nod and stand up with her. "I'll take care of Maroni. I have a score to settle with him." I point in the direction of Stryker and Joe. They are subduing several well dressed individuals as well as some men dressed in camouflage, mercenaries is my educated guess and some are just regular neighborhood thugs, maybe gang members hired by Maroni.

Tank and the rest of my crew have come in guns blazing to help with stragglers. Stryker looks in our direction. I know he wants to make sure Racine is safe. I give him a signal letting him know I have her back. I don't suppose anyone could stop Racine from confronting those two people who claimed to be her parents for so long. It's her right, she went through hell and back, now it's time for some payback or at the very least some answers.

"Ready?" I ask.

"Hell yes," she yells over the noise around us.

Giving her a swift kiss I say, "Woman, don't you get yourself killed now after I risked life and limb to save you. I'm thinking of getting married and it would be sort of hard if the bride is six feet under."

I raise my weapon to fire a few rounds at a few men coming in our direction. Stryker and Joe have subdued everyone on that end so they now add their gunfire to mine and Racine's.

"Wedding huh? I think you skipped a part. Oh well, I guess your faux pas will give me incentive to win. I want my proposal," she grabs me by the back of my head and plants a hard kiss on my lips. Releasing me we grin stupidly at each other. Racine takes a weapon off one of the men down on the ground. She fires off a few rounds.

"Batman, don't get yourself killed and cheat me out of my proposal. I'm holding you to it." It's probably not the time to be grinning like idiots but what do we care? We're in love.

Moving together we pass my men standing over the inert bodies of those who held Racine captive. Things in here are pretty much taken care of so now I can focus on Maroni. That man won't be leaving here in anything other than a body bag. He's the type to want revenge so even from behind bars he'd be able to send someone or several someones after Racine and me. We can take care of ourselves but who wants to be looking over their shoulder all the time?

We pick up speed as our targets are getting closer to leaving the building. My main concern is Maroni. After I take him out then if I have a chance I'll take care of Mr. Crawford.

Tackling Maroni I hit him squarely in the middle of his back. Momentum carries us forward. With my fist I land several solid blows before he is able to maneuver in a way that knocks me off him while he rolls over then scrambles to his feet. We've both dropped our guns. That's okay. I don't need a gun to take this sucker out. It will feel better beating the shit out of him anyway.

"So, Ranger, it's just you and me. Think you got what it takes? Many have tried but none have succeeded," he boasts trying to rattle me. He doesn't scare me one damn bit. I've faced insurgents coming at me with guns blazing or rigged with a suicide bomb. Come out of that alive and sane then nothing much can rattle you.

"Nope, I don't think I can beat you." He smiles with confidence until I say coldly, "I know I can. The only questions are how badly I beat you and whether or not I put you down like a mad dog then plant your body in the marsh."

Circling him I call out, "You okay Angel?"

"Fucking A. These two are no match for me. Heck, I think even Stephanie could take them down without a hiccup."

I give a little chuckle at her reference to Stephanie. Now I know she's okay I can concentrate on Maroni. I guess he's getting worried because he begins to bargain in a less confident voice, "Say, there's enough cash to go around. How about I give you a couple hundred large to turn a blind eye? What'd you say?"

"AS tempting as that sounds I just can't accept. I want to beat the shit out of you, so, no, I won't take your money." He makes a dive for one of the guns on the floor. I tackle him before he hits the floor. Shoving hard I push him backward not letting his feet find purchase. I slam him down on his back then kick him several times rolling his body over I'm kicking so hard. I can hear his painful grunting. It's music to my ears. I'll make him regret hurting Racine.

Maroni isn't putting up much resistance. I'm guessing he's one of those scary criminals who are only as powerful as the muscle he pays for. Rid him of the muscle and he's just an ordinary street punk who also happens to be sadistic and a coward.

Picking up one of the guns I aim it at him. He's curled into a fetal position sniveling like a baby. Damn it. I wanted to kill the bastard but how can I kill someone so pathetic? I'm about to turn away when I catch a flurry of movement from Maroni. He's rolled onto his back with a gun in his hand ready to shoot me.

I hear the sound of a gun firing just as I aim and fire. Screams, men shouting, more gunfire. I feel pain then darkness. Everything sounds like it's coming through stuffing in my ears. One final sound, Racine calling me, maybe shaking me, then nothing.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Who Believes in Happily Ever After?**

**Racine****'s POV **

The scene plays out as if in slow motion. I'm looking on in horror as Maroni gets his hands on a gun then fires at Ranger. I see Ranger go down. He got of a few shots. I think Maroni is dead but to be certain the bastard won't play a Phoenix rising from the ashes again I put a couple of rounds in him just before I sink to the ground.

Everyone else rushes over when they see Ranger fall. He's not moving. With shaking hands I lift his head on my lap. Tenderly I kiss his lips hoping this kiss will be like those in fairytales, only instead of a princess it is prince needing to be woken.

Lovingly I pass my hand over his face. When I reach his neck my fingers feel a wonderful welcome and steady pulse beat. I can't see any blood on him anywhere.

"Open your eyes my love. I'll not give you another kiss until I see the warmth of your eyes looking into mine."

Pulling her down he whispered in her ear, "Well shit. I was hoping to play the invalid for a moment longer. It's kind of nice having your hand touching me, healing my wounds. Maybe later we can play nurse and invalid."

"Hey boss, glad to see you didn't bite the dust just yet. I bought a new truck and my payments are through the roof. Sure do need this paycheck," Tank says. The others make similar comments. It wouldn't be macho for them to speak sentimentally about being glad Ranger didn't get hurt or killed. They express the sentiment in the only way tough men do.

"You aren't getting out of the talk we're going to have concerning the do's and don'ts of marrying my sister," Stryker shouts over his shoulder as he checks Maroni to make sure he's dead. The others go about collecting guns confiscated from Maroni's men. He's in his element ordering everyone around. Ranger doesn't seem to mind Stryker taking over. That could be because he's otherwise occupied kissing me senseless.

We're taking a moment to affirm life and show how glad we are to be alive and together. So, the middle of a scene from a Die Hard movie isn't the place for romance. Having others around cramps our style. I almost giggle when I wonder just what style Ranger and I do have. Several images come to mind causing me to blush bright red. Ranger raises a brow just before he smiles then jumps to his feet before offering me a hand up.

Joe's already put in a call but somehow I don't think all this gunfire is going to be ignored in the same fashion as a single gunshot might be. Before long there are men in blue everywhere. Joe's in his element pointing here then there as he lays out the story of what took place. I'm sure he fudges a few details.

I'm surprised Stephanie hasn't shown up. Truthfully I half expected her to be carrying a gun with no bullets and a pair of broken handcuffs. It is rather mean of me to think this but I feel justified because of how long she held Ranger's attention. She didn't have his undivided attention like I do but still, it's hard to shed my insecurity overnight. I smile as I contemplate how many years and the hundreds of ways Ranger can prove his love for me. He doesn't need to prove it but still it's nice to know he'll make an effort as will I.

Nearly four hours later we are given permission to leave with instructions to come down to the station to make formal statements. I'm about ready to drop. Ranger must have seen me swaying because he bends down so he can sweep me into his arms. My head sinks down wearily onto his chest. Sleepily I thank him for removing the hard vest. I much prefer his well muscled chest.

I'm battered and dog tired but the EMTs cleared me so I could go home. Ranger and Stryker both pressed for me to ride an ambulance to the hospital to be checked out. I agreed to being thoroughly examined by one of the EMTs. They grumbled for a bit, in the end I won. I think Ranger realized if I went to the hospital they might want to keep me overnight. We'd been apart too long already.

Saying our goodbyes to everyone we headed for the Bat Cave. I still get a kick out of thinking of Ranger's secret getaway as the Bat Cave. This is a part of Ranger's life only I share with him. Not even Stephanie has been there. Even if Ranger and I move away so he can manage his new branch I'd like to keep this place as our secret hideaway whenever life gets too hectic. Doing what Ranger does life will for sure get hectic. I'm not too sure I want to continue to chase down FTAs. I might tackle a few problems I've seen since I joined the rest of the human race.

My mind created things to destroy; now I'd like to concentrate on saving whatever part of the world I can. An idea for boosting food sources has been rattling around for a while now. My research will have to be carefully monitored so I don't create something for some nut job to use as a control of the world's food sources. I know those are already possible as prototypes are filed away in my mind.

Stryker let me go with a promise to call him in the morning. Maybe we can go to breakfast then head to the police station. The sooner this is over the better for all concerned. Does anyone I know live a "normal" life? Who decides what is normal? Normal for some may not be normal for others.

Goodness, I get the royal treatment when we get home. Ranger starts a bath then turns to remove my clothes. Even as tired as I am and knowing I must look a bruised mess I still find myself getting all hot and bothered by his touch. Those warm brown eyes are molten lava by the time the last piece of clothing is removed. I wanted to return the favor but Ranger shook his head. He lifted me in the bath setting me down gently.

After he stands up I'm treated to a Ranger strip tease. If that doesn't get a woman's juices flowing then she's dead. Mine are flowing hot and ready by the time he gets in behind me.

Taking the soap in his hand he begins to wash me. Holy Bat Man, every woman should have a Ranger to wash them at least once so they know how heavenly it is, or maybe heavenly is too pious for what I feel as his hands slide over my slick skin. Now this, women would pay big bucks for and I can get it any time I like. I am one lucky woman.

"Racine," Ranger whispers in my ear.

Goodness, even his breath in my ear is erotic. "MMM?" I hum as he's rendered me incapable of speaking any coherent words.

"I don't want us to ever be apart again. In fact, I want you to move in. I want us to get married as soon as we can. If nothing else this latest episode in my life has convinced me not to take another day for granted. I want us to be married so the world knows I love you and you love me. Someday, not right away, I want to start a family. With you I can see a family with children filling our house. Since I lost my daughter through my own stupidity and selfishness I've come to think I'd make a good father now. I'm a grownup and not a young kid wanting everything his way."

Gee, I think that's the longest speech I've ever heard from Ranger. Every word is permanently filed in my memory. When I'm old and gray I can pull them out and relive this moment.

"Racine, I'm dying here. Will you marry me?"

Turning around I straddle his legs wrapping my arms around his neck. Darn it this hurts my poor bruised legs but I'll suffer anything for Ranger. "Of course I'll marry you. Do you think I'm crazy? And as for kids, I haven't had much exposure to them, in fact zero. What if I'm a terrible mother? What if something they did to me makes be incapable of loving a child? Oh Ranger, what if they did something that prevents me from conceiving?"

I've gone from the heights of near euphoria to the depths of black despair.

He pulls me tighter against him as he assures me softly, "Hey, do you really think they'd do something so foolish as to create a being so perfect in every way then not want any future progeny?"

Of course he's right but until I've carried a child and then hold a living breathing baby in my arms I'll worry. Ranger deserves the future he craves. I know how it hurts him to not be able to be involved in his daughter's daily life. He doesn't talk about it and that's the reason I know it's a sore spot. The less he talks about something the more it bothers him. With Ranger it's hard to tell unless you know him intimately.

Taking a page from Ranger's book I'll try not to worry and just enjoy being loved by such a passionate man. When Ranger makes love to a woman I do think fireworks ignite somewhere from all the heat he creates. He for sure burns me up each time we make love. He should come with a warning lable, highly combustible.

In the morning I call Stryker to let him know I survived the night. We make arrangements to meet for breakfast.

Magically a closet is filled with my clothes. When did Ranger do this? When I ask he only grins then kisses me until my clothes nearly catch fire. They certainly do end up in a heap on the floor seemingly without any effort on my part or knowledge of them being removed half the time. When Ranger kisses me I'm lucky if I can recall my own name let alone anything else.

Needless to say we are late for breakfast. Stryker looks disgruntled but quickly his frown turns into a bedazzled smile when Dawn Micheals, the woman he met the night I was taken, smiles at him. Is that a blush I see on Stryker's face? It's too early for it to be from a booze buzz. Nope, my brother is smitten. I reassess the woman. There is more to her than meets the eye. She need to have the skills of a shark to navigate in my brother's pool.

We're eating with everyone concentrating on their food when suddenly Ranger puts down his fork and declares, "Racine and I are getting married. If you have an objection to that then we can step outside and settle it now."

Carefully Stryker puts down his fork. Using his napkin he wipes his mouth then replaces it on his lap. Resting his hands on the table edge he leans forward. That's a good thing as we can see both of his hands. He doesn't intend to shoot Ranger, not in here at any rate. I'm not too worried as I know Stryker has a very high regard for Ranger and vice versa.

"Well now, I think that's a fine idea. Just tell me when and where so I can walk the bride down the aisle. Maybe I should have asked Racine first but I thought I'd let her know I'm not opposed to the idea of giving her over into the capable hands of my best friend. Welcome brother to our family, such as it is," Stryker finishes holding out his hand toward Ranger. They shake hands vigorously, for a long time, too long, they are both turning red in the face as they try to outdo the other by making the other cry uncle first as they increase the pressure in their joined hands.

Dawn rolls her eyes then lays her hand on Stryker's shoulder and I put mine on Ranger's. I only know what I whispered in Ranger's ear. What Dawn said I have no idea. Whatever it was worked as the two idiots finally let go. Dropping their hands below the table I'm pretty sure they are both rubbing their abused appendage.

Men are odd mixed with a lot of stubborn, these two moreso than normal. I suppose they will always be competetive. That's not a bad thing although it can be annoying at times. Looking at Stryker and how he looks at Dawn I'd say he's met his match. I'll have to get to know her better. I'd much rather have her as a confidant then Stephanie any day. Since Joe played such a big part in my rescue it stands to reason I'll have to be courteous when meeting that woman. It will be hard but I will try. Maybe if I keep reminding myself Ranger and I weren't together when all that business between them happened. Sure he had some unresolved feelings to go through when I came on the scene but for the most part they were hisory and I'll have to try to remember that.

I'm looking forward to moving away from Trenton. I'll miss Joe. I can always make a point to see him when we return to the Bat Cave. Works for me.

Now, on with planning my wedding. I'm not into waiting or having an ostentatious affair. I want simple, pretty but quick. Ranger doesn't care one way or the other as long as we end up legally married. It didn't occur to us that I might not have a birth certificate filed anywhere. Stryker did some magic with his buds from the alphabet soup. Movers and shakers all of them. In my opinion the government is run by those alphabet soup men and not so much the elected officials. Shhh! I promised not to tell anyone. It's our secret.

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to post this. Between this and my Fifty Shades of Grey story I've been busy what with the turmoil of my real life butting in. I can write a wedding chapter or leave it like this. You readers decide.**


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